New US research has found that the number of people who sought local information on a mobile device grew 51% from March 2008 to March 2009.
Research from comScore found that the mobile browser is the leading access method for seeking local information, with 20.7 million users in March 2009, up 34% year on year.
However, the strongest growth in the category is coming from downloaded applications, which grew 83% year on year, followed by SMS at 72%.
| Subscribers Accessing Local Mobile Content* by Access Method |
| Three-Month Average Ending March 2009 vs. March 2008 |
| US Mobile Subscribers Age 13+ |
| Source: comScore Mobile |
|
Number of Mobile Subscribers (MM) |
| Mar-08 |
Mar-09 |
Percent Change |
| Any Access Method |
21.5 |
32.5 |
51% |
| Browser |
15.4 |
20.7 |
34% |
| SMS |
6.8 |
11.7 |
72% |
| Application downloaded to phone |
6.2 |
11.3 |
83% |
| *Local content defined as searching for information on maps, movies, business directories or restaurants. |
Serge Matta, comScore senior vice president, said: “Given the explosion in application stores and associated marketing efforts, along with the growth in mobile phones using faster data networks, it would not be surprising within the next six months to see the number of people using downloadable applications surpass SMS for the accessing of local information via mobile devices.”
Magna’s latest global advertising forecast, meanwhile, predicted that US mobile advertising will grow by 36% this year, rising from $169 million in 2008 to $229 million during the course of 2009 (see US mobile advertising to grow by 36%).
