Rail users are spending half their journey time on a connected device and increasingly using that time to browse products and make purchases, according to research by KBH On-Train Media.
The study of more than 2,000 rail users aged between 18 and 64, travelling at least weekly, reveals a highly connected audience with 92% of travellers owning a smartphone and 90% using it while on a train.
However, despite being seemingly glued to their devices, rail users are still able to engage with their surroundings, with 94% saying that they notice ‘traincard’ advertising.
Of those, 48% have gone on to research or look up something they saw advertised, while 33% spoke to someone about an on-train ad they’d seen and 24% actually made a purchase as a result.
The most popular time for respondents to have purchased a service or product they’d seen on an on-train ad was later the same day (29%); 28% had done so immediately while still on the train and 27% said they had made a traincard-prompted purchase a few days later.
While shopping on a train online, rail travellers are most likely to buy clothes with a quarter of respondents browsing fashion retail sites and almost a fifth (18%) purchasing from fashion retailers whilst on the train.
While travelling by train, Paypal is the preferred form of payment on a mobile phone with 52% of travellers most likely to use the service compared to 45% opting for a debit or credit card.
According to the research, mobile wallet and payment apps are yet to penetrate with only 2% saying they would use these for an on-train online purchase.
“As the number of rail users continues to steadily increase, the variety of activities they’re carrying out while on-board is also expanding,” said Ian Reynolds, managing director, KBH On-Train Media.
“With pressure on commuters’ time greater than ever, we have found that on-train time is active time, with journeys used to work, shop, plan leisure activities and catch up on the latest entertainment.”
Reynolds added that traincards offer brands and advertisers a “key opportunity” to target connected consumers at an “increasingly rare point” when they actually have the time and ability to research, browse and make decisions.
“As connectivity on trains rises with increased investment in Wi-Fi, we expect to see rail users capitalise on these improvements, making the most of every journey,” he said.
