Article

Survey reveals generational differences in holiday shopping plans

Mobile phones have become an integral part of holiday shopping, in a number of ways.

December 15, 2010

Briabe Media, a multicultural mobile marketing agency, has released a joint report on holiday retail sentiments of Americans and the use of mobile devices in holiday shopping. Briabe used data culled from a survey of more than 12,000 respondents from MocoSpace, the largest entertainment destination on the mobile Internet. The findings revealed that age demographics determine if the upcoming holiday season will be a boom or bust for retailers. Also, the report finds that mobile phones have become an important part of holiday shopping in a variety of ways, from price comparison to product research.

MocoSpace is the largest entertainment destination on the mobile Internet, with over 15 million registered users generating more than 3 billion pages per month.

Age plays a big role in American spending plans this holiday season. Survey responses indicate that consumer spending over the holidays will increase from last year for Americans under the age of 30, but decrease for 30 year-olds and above. Fifty-nine percent of those under 19 plan to spend more and 52 percent of 20-29 year-olds plan to spend more, but the majority of 30-39 year-olds plan to spend less (53 percent). The survey finds a further drop-off after that, with 62 percent of 40-49 year-olds planning to spend less.
 
When it comes to mobile phone usage, 76 percent of respondents noted that their phone is "somewhat important" to "very important" to their holiday shopping this year. While 62 percent of respondents said they were likely to use their phone for product research before entering a store, only 46 percent use their mobile in-store for comparison shopping. Only 14 percent of survey respondents said they use mobile coupons, although 30 percent are more likely to use them around the holidays.
 
"The results of this study provide new evidence of expanding consumer reliance on mobile phones to manage their daily lives and to help in their decision making process," said James Briggs, CEO of Briabe Media. "Moreover, we are seeing a growing use of mobile phones to aid in shopping decisions, including for holiday purchases."
 
"This mobile survey demonstrates the value of reaching young shoppers during the holiday season, as they are the ones looking to open their wallets more than last year," said Casey Jones, vice president of marketing and music at MocoSpace. "It's also quite interesting that mobile phones have become a crucial shopping tool, especially earlier during the buy cycle, a fact probably attributed to the rapid adoption of smart phone devices with increased browser speeds and faster access to data."

(Photo by centralasian.)