Smartphone, Tablet Owners Spend More Time and Money Mobile Shopping

Tablet ownership increases the frequency of mobile shopping, improves the purchase experience – and makes consumers who own both devices use their smartphone more often, according to a new story by by Ipsos OTX MediaCT on behalf of PayPal.

The study revealed that tablet ownership increases mobile purchase frequency, with owners of tablets (as well as smartphones) buying nearly twice as often as those who only have smartphones. Further, more than 40 percent of these “dual owners” made more than 20 mobile purchases over the past year. In addition, nearly two-thirds of dual owners indicated higher overall spending due to their mobile purchasing activity.

“Dual owners have the classic markings of early tech adopters, including skewing high-income and male,” says Todd Board, SVP of Ipsos OTX MediaCT. “That said, our study clearly suggests that owning both a smartphone and tablet can positively reinforce mobile shopping and spending habits.”

Dual owners are significantly more likely (63 percent) to indicate increased overall spending on mobile purchases, versus owners of smartphones only (29 percent). Tablet owners may be enticed to spend more due to the device’s larger screen and keyboard, and touchscreen capabilities, which tablet owners say improve the shopping experience.

“We are starting to see more retailers take advantage of this trend by tailoring their mobile websites and apps for tablets,” said Laura Chambers, senior director of Mobile, PayPal. “With more shoppers planning to use tablets to shop this holiday season, and quite often using them from the comfort of their own home, we expect that retailers will see quite a bit of ‘couch commerce’ this year. We are predicting that the first big spike in mobile shopping will be right after Thanksgiving dinner, where consumers will be shopping from their tablets and smartphones right from their couch – a fantastic early opportunity for retailers to engage their customers.”

The study also found that the addition of a tablet complements the smartphone shopping experience. In fact, the results show that dual owners still prefer smartphones for a wider range of m-commerce tasks

The findings are based on an Ipsos OTX MediaCT survey conducted on behalf of PayPal in August, 2011. The study was conducted among Americans age 18+ who own smartphones and/or tablet PCs, and who otherwise have completed or attempted a purchase via mobile device, or intend to in the future. The total sample size of 1,283 respondents included 451 smartphone-only mobile purchasers, 215 dual owner purchasers, and 286 dual owners including those who had not yet purchased via mobile device.

To learn more, please visit, www.ipsos-na.com/media.