Mobile search ever more popular with youths

LONDON - Almost one quarter of 18 to 35 year-olds use mobile search at least once a month, leaving brands who have yet to optimise their mobile search presence at risk of becoming invisible to consumers.

According to research by Tamar, 20 per cent of 18 to 24 year olds access a search engine from their mobiles at least once a month and 11 per cent use it at least once a week.

Among 25 to 34 year-olds, 27 per cent access a search engine from their mobile phone at least once a month with 9 per cent of those performing a search at least once a week. 

Neil Jackson, search director at Tamar said a significant percentage of young people are now using mobile search, indicating that it is at the tipping point of becoming mainstream.

"Brands who have not created and optimised their mobile web presence, risk becoming invisible to consumers, who are becoming increasingly reliant on mobile search," he said.

"For a retail brand, for example, information such as store locations on Google Maps, product inventories and a link to a review site or price comparison site can inform a consumers purchasing decisions on the go. Brands who have not thought about mobile search before need to do so now, or risk being left behind".

The research supports Google's assertion that the company's revenues from mobile search will surpass those from the PC within the next few years.

BIA's Kelsey Group expects mobile search ad revenue in Western Europe to increase from £32.7m in 2008, to £2bn by 2013.

Published by: Elizabeth Clifford-Marsh

Published 22nd September, 2009

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