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Over half of business users researching products on mobile devices

Mobile eCommerce

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IDG Inc. recently released a new survey showing us just how much mobile devices have permeated our lives – for instance, it highlights how mobile devices have changed the way we consume video, or how we read the news.

While this kind of survey isn’t new, some aspects of it do give us a window into how we interact with mobile devices in both work and play settings, confirming what we already know and then some. There’s also the sheer scale of the survey, which was conducted online and featured responses from about 23,500 people worldwide through IDG’s network of websites.

On the business side, here’s what interested us – about 70 per cent of North American respondents use their smartphones to buy products and services, while 80 per cent do that on their tablets.

That extends into business as well. About 56 per cent of global respondents use their smartphones to research business products, while 73 per cent do the same with tablets. And in the C-suite, the number of smartphone users looking up business products jumps to 72 per cent, while 86 per cent use their tablets instead.

They’re researching vendor sites, comparing prices and products, reading feature articles on new and upcoming trends, watching videos, and checking out forums and social networks. A smaller group is consuming heavier stuff, reading case studies, whitepapers, analyst reports, and watching webinars.

And with the desire to use mobile to follow up on business product research, mobile has leaked into other aspects of our lives as well. Sixty-six per cent of all respondents said they use their smartphones at home, during the evening, to research business products. Another 80 per cent do that with their tablets. On the weekends, 43 per cent use their smartphones to do research, while 60 per cent use their tablets on their off time.

Ultimately, while this survey confirms what we’ve already known about our purchasing and productivity habits, it still helps to have some numbers telling us how much mobile has solidified its presence – as well as what that might mean for our work and personal lives.

Head on over here to see the full survey.

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