One in Five U.S. Adult Consumers Now Using Mobile Commerce

A survey, commissioned by the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) shows that approximately one in five U.S. adult mobile phone owners have used their cell phone for mobile commerce (m-commerce) in the past month.

The new survey found that 17 percent of respondents used their mobile phone to purchase applications, ringtones and other content. Significantly however, 6 percent used their phone to receive coupons or discounts and 6 percent used their mobile phone to purchase physical goods or non-mobile content or services, confirming that m-commerce has graduated to include more than just the purchase of digital content for the mobile phone itself.

BlackBerry and iPhone owners use m-commerce the most. More than half of iPhone owners and 34 percent of BlackBerry owners have purchased content for their smartphone. Fifty-six percent of mobile content purchases were made through a carrier, and 43 percent used a bank or credit card account for payment.

Adults ages 25-34 used their mobile phones for all transaction types significantly more than any other age group.

"The Consumer Briefing shows that mobile commerce is beginning to insert itself into the mainstream of U.S. commerce," said Peter A. Johnson, vice president of market intelligence, MMA, and author of the study. "For several years, we've seen millions of people purchase ringtones, games and other apps. Now mobile consumers are branching out to use their mobile phone as a passport to other kinds of purchases, as well. This is a change not just in quantity, but quality, too. This strong and growing adoption highlights the reach, effectiveness and trustworthiness of the mobile channel for a wide variety of purchases, including physical goods and services."

"With the widening scope of mobile capacity, mobile phone users will continue to integrate their phones for transactions beyond just purchasing content for their mobile phone," said Jacqueline Rosales, EVP, Business Development & Client Service, Luth Research. "Marketers have a real opportunity to leverage the use of discounts and coupons as a key means to engaging with customers."