Mobile content and commerce now ubiquitous

Editor | 21-11-2012

A new report from MEF has revealed that nearly nine-tenths (88%) of the world's mobile media users have engaged with some form of mobile content and commerce in the last six months - a year-on-year rise of 82%.

The MEF Global Consumer Survey 2012, which uncovers the attitudes of global mobile users, says that the report confirms a "huge transformation" in social behaviour wrought by almost permanently-connected smartphones. It adds that before the emergence of iPhone and Android – and the data bundles that make affordable connection to the mobile Internet possible – mobile content and commerce was restricted to a relatively small group of consumers, but now it is becoming ubiquitous.

A quarter of those surveyed indicated that entertainment was the primary reason to purchase items on their mobile devices. Trust was also a key motivator for engaging in mobile commerce, with 13% citing 'from a brand I know and trust' as a key reason for purchasing via mobile. Just over a third of respondents admitted that concerns around trust are acting as a barrier to purchasing more from a phone.