1. Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey:
Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011
February 2011
2. Contents
Executive Summary 3
Key Findings 3
Mobile Commerce Adoption 3
User Experience 4
Shopping & Browsing Preferences 4
Conclusions and Recommendations 4
Methodology & Participants 6
Results & Analysis 7
Appendix 1 – Survey Participant Profile 26
Appendix 2 –Mobile Shopping Behavior by User Segments 27
Appendix 3 – Mobile Shopping Satisfaction by User Segments 31
Appendix 4 – Browser vs App Preferences by User Segments 32
Other Adobe Mobile Research 33
For more information 34
About Adobe Online Marketing Suite 34
About Adobe Scene7 34
About Adobe Systems Incorporated 34
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011
3. Executive Summary
As consumers use multiple channels to research, browse and shop, mobile is poised to become an important
entry point in the cross-channel shopping experience.
In stores, shoppers are reaching for their mobile devices to research products and prices at the point of
decision. Curious consumers are scanning QR codes on outdoor advertising and in magazine pages to get more
information about a brand or product. As the impulse strikes them, many shoppers are simply moved to
purchase directly from their devices. In fact, recent research finds that U.S. mobile Internet users expect to
engage in shopping-related activities in some categories at rates that exceed current rates on desktops.1
However you look at it, mobile is transforming the way consumers shop and interact with brands, and retailers
that are not investing in this channel may risk getting left behind. This year, U.S. mobile commerce revenues
are expected to hit $5.3 billion, up 83% from a year ago, according to Barclays Capital, while a Luth Research
study found that 51% of consumers are more likely to purchase from retailers that have mobile-optimized
websites. And over the 2010 holiday shopping season, mobile Google searches for stores, products and prices
were up more than 200% from the previous year, according to the company, and the mobile bar code scanning
app ShopSavvy was downloaded 2.2 million times in November. 2
It is clear that consumers enter the shopping experience well-armed today with their smart, connected devices.
The good news for merchants is that mobile offers many touch points through which they can engage their
customers, with research suggesting that mobile optimized websites can raise engagement by as much as
85%. 3 The key is to build a user experience at each touch point that is relevant and engaging so as to inspire
deeper interaction.
This report, the second installment based on key findings from our survey of 1,200 consumers, examines
specific mobile shopping preferences that have implications for how retailers design the mobile user
experience. This quantitative study measures the user characteristics, behavior, preferences, satisfaction levels
and other experiential factors related to the shopping and purchasing of tangible goods from mobile devices.
For user experience comparisons between shopping and other key consumer sectors, please see this report’s
forerunner, Adobe Mobile Experience Survey: What Users Want from Media, Finance, Travel and Shopping.
The survey participants reflect a wide range of age groups and mobile device ownership; their responses were
analyzed for gender, age and device differences.
Key Findings
Mobile Commerce Adoption
• A majority of the respondents (62%) say they have purchased physical goods from their devices in the last six
months.4
• The greatest number of respondents (45%) spent $249 or less over the last 12 months; by comparison, the
average annual online spend per shopper in 2010 is estimated at $1,139. 5
• Of those who have purchased from their mobile devices, a majority report spending more than an hour a
week mobile shopping, on both mobile shopping websites and downloadable apps.
• Compared to their peers, iPhone users, men and 30-49 year olds purchase more frequently, buy goods in
more categories and generally spend more time shopping than their peers.
• When it comes to dollars spent, proportionally more iPhone users (66%) report spending $250 or more on
mobile purchases in the last 12 months compared to their peers, followed by Blackberry users (58%).
• The most purchased consumer goods category is shrink-wrapped entertainment, including Movies, Music
and Games, purchased by 43% of the respondents, followed by Clothing, Shoes and Jewelry, purchased by
30% of the respondents. Closely behind are Electronics and Books, Magazines and Newspapers, purchased
by 28% and 26% of the respondents, respectively.
1 The Nielsen Company and Yahoo!, The Mobile Shopping Framework Study: The Role of Mobile Devices in the Shopping Process, Jan. 2011
2 eMarketer, Mobile Ecommerce Investments to Pay Off in 2011, Jan. 2011
3 Luth Research, Supply & Demand of the Mobile Web for Retail, Nov. 2010
4 The respondents’ mobile commerce adoption rate is significantly higher than current estimates for the broad population, thanks to their duly high
browser-enabled smartphone adoption compared to the general population.
5 eMarketer, U.S. Retail E-Commerce Forecast: Room to Grow, March 2010
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 3
4. User Experience
• Respondents appear satisfied with their mobile shopping experience overall, with more than 80% rating their
experience above average.
• Downloadable mobile apps are not drawing higher satisfaction scores than mobile browsers, despite the
former’s reputation for superior user experiences.
• For a wide range of mobile shopping activities such as researching products and comparing prices, the
majority of respondents favor using browsers to downloadable mobile apps. Two-thirds of the respondents
say they prefer browsers to apps for accessing product and other shopping content.
Shopping & Browsing Preferences
• Features rated most important by a majority of mobile shoppers are easy checkout (57%) and product and
pricing information (53%). Visual information, such as full-screen product view, ranks as the next most
important feature (42%), followed closely by simple keyword search (40%).
• When it comes to visual tools, the greatest number of respondents (54%) identified 360-degree spin as the
visual feature that would influence their likelihood of purchase on a mobile website. The next two top-ranked
visual features are side-by-side product comparisons (49%) and interactive zoom/pan (44%). Interestingly,
respondents ranked these features ahead of simple keyword search and customer ratings & reviews.
• Full-screen image zoom with “next/previous” touchscreen buttons to navigate left/right was tied with
full-screen horizontal scrolling with dragging or flicking images left/right as the most preferred ways to
browse multiple products. Both of these viewing experiences were selected by nearly half of the
respondents.
• Females appear to have higher expectations for mobile shopping features. For example, easy checkout was
rated important by 61% of females compared to 51% of males; 44% of females rated search important
compared to 36% of males.
• Video is one area that was rated by more men than women (38% versus 28%) as an influence on their
likelihood of purchase. Women also place a greater premium on visual features including color-swatching,
mix-and-match and alternative images (such as on-model, lifestyle images) than men.
• More females than males (42% versus 35%) deem online promotions and coupons important to their mobile
shopping experience.
• 18-29 year-olds prefer the following features more than other age segments: visual information, social
sharing and sorting/filtering options to narrow search results.
Conclusions and Recommendations
For retailers, mobile can be a highly personal and influential customer touch point. Its unparalleled immediacy
means that consumers can turn to their devices to realize a need or desire as the impulse strikes them, whether
it’s hitting up the nearest store upon receiving a coupon, or looking up user reviews to validate a decision to
purchase. It’s therefore important to think of mobile not strictly as a purchase channel, but as a touch point for
engaging shoppers, driving them to action and serving them when they are ready to buy.
User expectations and preferences vary by region and country, so please note that our survey findings are
based on U.S. consumer responses. With that in mind and based on our findings, we offer these considerations
and recommendations for planning and executing your mobile shopping presence:
Mobile shopping and commerce is a reality: Invest in mobile and be ready for your shoppers
Thanks to their ability to deliver desktop-like experiences that are rich in content and functionality, browser-
enabled smartphones are spurring major shifts in shopping behavior. As mobile and desktop experiences
converge, it is not a big leap for consumers to purchase goods through rich websites and apps accessed from
their mobile devices.
Our study validates the growing adoption of mobile commerce: That easy checkout was singled out as the
most important mobile shopping feature suggests that consumers expect to be purchasing products on the go.
Moreover, they are not averse to purchasing products in high-touch categories like clothing, shoes, electronics
and toys. As mobile becomes an important purchase channel, online retailers—including those selling
high-ticket, discretionary goods—should consider integrating online commerce into their mobility roadmap.
Where possible, businesses should utilize existing investments, tools, technologies and applicable know-how from
their desktop delivery approaches to develop mobile-optimized experiences.
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 4
5. As consumers treat their smartphones like minicomputers, marketers need to deliver rich and relevant
experiences to engage them, applying best practices from their desktop delivery arsenal where it makes sense.
With the greatest number of respondents naming 360-degree product spin as the visual feature most likely to
influence purchase, it’s a sign that consumers are transferring their desktop expectations and preferences to
mobile. Quite simply, users want ample visual information regardless of the medium, and just as is true for the
desktop, bigger is also better in mobile. For instance, the common denominator between the two most
preferred experiences for browsing multiple products is full-screen views.
Regardless of whether the product images appear in an app or mobile website, mobile-optimized, full-screen
displays and zoom are de rigeur. These tactics play well into the trend towards ever-larger form factors,
including bigger displays.
Interestingly, retailers appear to be tuned into what mobile shoppers want. We surveyed online retailers in July
2010, and questioned them about their planned and deployed tactics. A majority said they expect shoppers to
use full-screen viewing to browse their merchandise, in line with what our consumer respondents indicated as
a key browsing feature. The no. 1 visualization feature our merchant respondents wanted to deploy was
360-degree spin; similarly, this was the feature cited by the most shoppers as being influential to their purchase
decision.
Mobile is fragmented: To maximize reach, invest in a mobile-optimized web experience.
The proliferation of mobile devices and operating systems has made for a highly fragmented industry,
challenging retailers who seek scale and reach using rich delivery channels. The mobile web can mitigate some
of these challenges, especially as growing numbers of users adopt browser-enabled smartphones.
For most retailers, mobile-optimized websites will make the most sense, not least because users tell us they
prefer browsers over downloadable apps for interacting with shopping-related content.
We believe users like the convenience of simply typing their search queries and destinations right into the
browser, compared to searching for applications, then downloading them from an app store. In many ways,
consumers are simply transferring their desktop behavior to the mobile browsing and search environment
which, for browser-enabled devices, replicate the familiar desktop experience. In those environments, users
will instinctively access the browser, which is universally considered the de facto application for online search.
Additionally, developing and maintaining apps for multiple platforms can be costly and most consumers have
limited appetite for the number of applications they are willing to download and maintain on their devices.
On the technology front, as HTML5 and Flash continue to evolve, browser-based experiences will come to be
richer in content and functionality, with the potential to emulate or approach the native app experience. Key
features offered by branded retail apps such as store locator with map integration, in-stock product search by
store, order-tracking, customer reviews and more can all be executed on the mobile web today.
That said, a hybrid approach that delivers both web and app experiences can nonetheless be ideal if resources
were not a constraint. Retailers interested in delivering branded utilities and services to their base can provide
those experiences through downloadable apps. Among retailers deploying both, Columbia Sportswear, for
instance, has a mobile-optimized site and a well-reviewed app that instructs adventurers how to tie 70
different knots to meet their outdoor needs.
Finally, with mobile devices rapidly expanding beyond cell phones to include all wirelessly connected devices
such as e-readers, tablets, and portable gaming handhelds, device fragmentation will increase. Each device,
with its own specific features and capabilities, will require a distinct, nuanced approach. Rather than launching
for several devices and platforms at once, choose one that best captures your demographic, then expand to
other devices and platforms.
Offer swift, streamlined, yet rich experiences.
With mobile users having different needs than desktop users, the key is to make it easy for shoppers on the go
to interact with your brand and products, while being mindful of load times and bandwidth issues. This means
minimal navigation and clean graphical interfaces free of clutter and optimized for touch-screen interactions
with larger buttons and text. So, calling up a zoom view, for example, shouldn’t involve a lot of pinching and
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 5
6. gesturing. Instead, a simple tap on a button should produce an optimized, full-screen view or close-up details
of the product.
One approach shared by many mass merchants is a focus on efficient search and browsing. Their mobile home
page reflects a minimalist sensibility that invites deeper browsing and exploration. Only when shoppers drill
down on categories or products do detailed information appear.
An uncluttered shopping environment, however, should not preclude access to rich visual tools that emulate
the in-store touch-and-feel experience. Our findings show that the younger age group is more predisposed to
wanting and using visualization tools and shopping features than their older peers. At a time when those under
10 years old are owners and users of the iPod Touch, a whole generation of consumers are growing up on
mobile and leapfrogging the PC experience in their early years. Thus, retailers have to deliver on mobile
experiences that engage and build trust, whether it’s providing rich visuals such as high-quality product
imagery with deep details or robust search and product comparison tools.
The mobile channel continues to evolve. Monitor user satisfaction and expectations continuously to deliver on a
great mobile shopping experience.
Mobile shopping is still in its early days and will continue to evolve with the technology and user expectations.
While our findings show that mobile shopping behavior tends to vary by gender, age and device, many of these
differences should narrow as mobile usage becomes more pervasive. Today, men, 30-49 year olds and iPhone
users appear to shop more than their peers, likely because they are the typical early adopters. These segments
are more likely to engage in mobile shopping because their advanced browser-equipped touch-screen devices
make for a compelling mobile shopping experience. But forecasters are predicting a continuing fast uptake in
smartphone adoption, buttressed by projections by the Nielsen Co. that 1 in 2 Americans will own a
smartphone by the end of 2011.6 Against this backdrop, we expect women, in particular, to catch up—and even
outpace— men in their adoption of mobile shopping and commerce, mirroring their trajectory on the PC
Internet, where they now account for proportionally more ecommerce dollars than men.
Meanwhile, the user experience will also continue to improve as fierce competition in the mobile ecosystem
among device makers, service providers and other players will inevitably lead to greater innovations. Retailers
should stay abreast of the advances in this space while diligently monitoring mobile behavior, satisfaction and
expectations in order to continuously fine-tune their tactics and strategies.
Today, consumer expectations generally lag the technology, which in turn represents an opportunity for
retailers to trial and learn. Our study provides one proof point that mobile’s smaller form factors are not
deterring consumers from interacting with shopping content, and in fact, they appear to be quite satisfied with
their overall experience. This provides a solid footing from which retailers can further improve and deliver on
richer and engaging mobile shopping experiences.
Methodology & Participants
On Adobe’s behalf, Keynote Services conducted the online survey distributed to 1,200 adults in the U.S.
between August 25 and 30.
Of the 1,200 U.S. consumers surveyed, 739 say they have purchased goods from their mobile devices in the
last six months. Unless otherwise noted, most of the findings in this report are based on responses from this
respondent pool.
The 739 participants skew female and young, and over-index on browser-enabled smartphone adoption,
reflecting the characteristics of the 1,200 original population pool.
iPhones/iPads represent the most common device among those survey participants who have engaged in
mobile commerce and is used by 44% of them. Android and Blackberry claim 19% and 22%, respectively, of
the participants’ devices. While iPhones/iPads appear to be the device of choice, proportionally more men
than women owned them.
There are only 54 respondents in the age group between 50 to 64 years old, making for an insufficient sample
size from which to draw statistically significant conclusions.
6 The Nielsen Company, Smartphones to Overtake Feature Phones in U.S. by 2011, March 2010.
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 6
7. Any references to mobile purchases made in the last 12 months should be interpreted as mobile purchases
made in the last 12 months from August 2010 when the respondents were surveyed.
For survey participant details, please see Appendix 1.
Survey Participants Device Ownership
iPhone/iPad 44%
Blackberry RIM 22%
Android 19%
Other 7%
Windows Mobile 3%
Palm 3%
Symbian (e.g., Nokia) 2%
Results & Analysis
Consumers are using their mobile devices to shop and purchase. How pervasive is mobile commerce?
What are they buying and spending? Who are mobile shoppers?
A majority of the respondents have purchased from their mobile devices, with shrink-wrapped entertainment
topping the list of most purchase categories.
• Of the 1,200 consumers surveyed, 62% have purchased from their mobile devices and made purchases in 3.5
categories on average. These adoption rates are significantly higher than what we would see for the
population as a whole, due to the pervasive adoption of browser-enabled smartphones among our panelists.
Mobile Commerce Penetration,
Products Purchased in Last 6 Months
Movies, Music & Games (excluding iTunes & mobile games) 43%
Clothing, Shoes & Jewelry 30%
Electronics 28%
Books, Magazines & Newspapers 26%
Grocery, Health & Beauty 20%
Computers & Office 20%
Sports & Outdoors 16%
Toys, Babies & Kids 16%
Home, Garden & Pets 13%
Tools, Auto & Industrial 13%
I haven't purchase any of these through my mobile device
38%
within the last 6 months
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 7
8. • Those who indicated they have purchased in the last six months (739 respondents) were then asked what
products they purchased in the last 12 months; an “Other” category was also added a choice they could
select.
• Of those who have purchased goods from their devices, shrink-wrapped entertainment, including Movies,
Music and Games, was purchased by 65% in the last 12 months. The next two most purchased categories are
Clothing, Shoes & Jewelry, purchased by 50% of the respondents, closely followed by Books, Magazines and
Newspapers, purchased by 46%.
Mobile Commerce Penetration,
Products Purchased in Last 12 Months
Movies, Music, & Games (excluding iTunes & mobile games) 65%
Clothing, Shoes & Jewelry 50%
Books, Magazines & Newspapers 46%
Electronics 43%
Grocery, Healthy & Beauty 27%
Computers & Office 27%
Sports & Outdoors 22%
Home, Garden & Pets 20%
Toys, Babies & Kids 19%
Tools, Auto & Industrial 14%
Other 2%
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 8
9. IPhone users, men and 30-49 year olds make purchases in more categories compared to their peers.
• Compared to other device users, more iPhone users have purchased from their devices; they also lead every
purchase category measured.
Consumer Products Purchased through Mobile Devices
in Last 6 Months, by Device
39%
39%
60%
Movies, Music Games (excluding iTunes mobile games) 32%
50%
32%
17%
27%
23%
36%
Books, Magazines Newspapers 14%
25%
20%
7%
13%
15%
33%
Computers Office 9%
13%
22%
5%
25%
29%
43%
Clothing, Shoes Jewelry 21%
31%
27%
9%
18%
11%
25%
Sports Outdoors 9%
6%
15% Android
4%
10% Blackberry RIM
11% iPhone/iPad
22%
Home, Garden Pets 5% Palm
13%
7% Symbian (e.g., Nokia)
4%
15% Windows Mobile
17% Other
31%
Grocery, Health Beauty 5%
19%
20%
6%
25%
24%
41%
Electronics 21%
25%
22%
9%
9%
9%
23%
Tools, Auto Industrial 7%
6%
7%
2%
9%
15%
25%
Toys, Babies Kids 16%
6%
7%
5%
41%
44%
I haven't purchase any of these through my mobile device 22%
43%
within the last 6 months 25%
49%
67%
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 9
10. • A higher percentage of men have purchased from their mobile devices than women: 43% of women say they
have not purchased from their devices in the last six months compared to 32% of men who say so. Men lead
purchases in six of the ten product categories measured, except for these categories, purchased by equal
numbers of men and women: 1) Grocery, Health & Beauty; 2) Toys, Babies & Kids; 3) Clothing, Shoes &
Jewelry; and 4) Home, Garden & Pets.
Consumer Products Purchased through Mobile Devices
in Last 6 Months, by Gender
Movies, Music & Games 50%
38%
Electronics 40%
20%
I haven't purchase any of these through my mobile 32%
device within the last 6 months 43%
Books, Magazines & Newspapers 30%
23%
Clothing, Shoes & Jewelry 29%
31%
Computers & Office 28%
14% Males
Female
Sports & Outdoors 24%
11%
Grocery, Health & Beauty 20%
20%
Tools, Auto & Industrial 19%
8%
Toys, Babies & Kids 15%
17%
Home, Garden & Pets 14%
13%
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 10
11. • 18-29 year-olds and 30-49 year olds buy goods across all categories in near equal numbers, though 30-49
year olds have a slightly greater tendency to purchase in these categories: 1) Home, Garden & Pets; 2) Sports
& Outdoors; and 3) Toys, Babies & Kids.
Consumer Products Purchased through Mobile Devices
in Last 6 Months, by Age
47%
Movies, Music & Games (excluding iTunes &
mobile games) 24% 44%
I haven't purchase any of these through my 36%
37%
mobile device within the last 6 months 56%
32%
Clothing, Shoes & Jewelry 30%
22%
30%
Electronics 29%
19%
27%
Books, Magazines & Newspapers 28%
14%
21% 18-29 year-olds
Grocery, Health & Beauty 22% 30-49 year-olds
8%
50-64 year-olds
19%
Computers & Office 22%
11%
15%
Sports & Outdoors 20%
9%
15%
Toys, Babies & Kids 20%
6%
13%
Tools, Auto & Industrial 14%
6%
12%
Home, Garden & Pets 17%
6%
Please note that the 50-64 year-old age group constitutes an insufficient sample size from which to draw statistically significant conclusions.
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 11
12. A majority of respondents report spending more than an hour a week shopping from their devices, with 30-49
year olds, men and iPhone users generally spending more time mobile shopping than their peers.
• More than half of the respondents report spending at least an hour a week shopping on mobile websites or
downloadable apps. To put this in context, Americans spend an average of 2.7 hours per day on the mobile
Internet— which translates to 19 hours a week—according to a 2010 study by PR agency Ruder Finn.
Average Weekly Time Spent
on Mobile Shopping Websites
< 1 hour 38%
1-2 hours 33%
3-5 hours 20%
6-10 hours 6%
10+ hours 3%
Average Weekly Time Spent
on Mobile Shopping Apps
< 1 hour 46%
1-2 hours 30%
3-5 hours 15%
6-10 hours 6%
10+ hours 3%
• 30-49 year olds consistently spend more time shopping than their peers, on both websites and
downloadable apps.
• Proportionally more iPhone users (62%) spend over an hour a week on shopping apps compared to their
peers, with Palm users ranking second with 53% of them spending more than an hour a week on shopping
apps. When it comes to those spending more than an hour a week on mobile shopping sites, iPhone and
Palm users are about tied for first place.
• Men spend more time on mobile shopping sites than women, while both groups spend more than an hour a
week on mobile shopping apps in nearly equal numbers.
For details on how the amount of time users spend on mobile shopping varies with age, gender and device
ownership, please see Appendix 2.
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 12
13. A majority of respondents report spending more than $249 on average on goods purchased, with greater propor-
tions of iPhone users, men and 30-49 year olds among them.
• Fully 55% of the respondents report spending more than an average of $249 on goods purchased through
their mobile devices in the last 12 months, with men, older adults and iPhone users likely to spend more than
their peers.
Average Spend on Consumer Goods Purchased via
Mobile Devices in Past 12 Months
4%
7%
$1 to $249
16% 45% $250 to $499
$500 to $749
$750 to $999
$1,000 and above
28%
• More than 60% of male respondents report spending more than an average of $249 on consumer goods in
the last 12 months, compared to 47% of females.
Average Spend on Consumer Goods Purchased
via Mobile Devices in Past 12 Months, by Gender
53%
24%
Female
Male
13%
35% 33%
18% 6%
4%
8% 5%
$1-249 $250-499 $500-749 $750-999 $1000+
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 13
14. Please note that the 50-64 year-old age group constitutes an insufficient sample size from which to draw statistically significant conclusions.
Average Spend on Consumer Goods Purchased via
Mobile Devices in Past 12 Months, by Age
56%
24% 18-29 yrs old
30-49 yrs old
34% 50-64 yrs old
13%
34%
17%
37% 5%
24% 26% 9% 2%
9% 6%
4%
$1 to $249 $250 to $499 $500 to $749 $750 to $999 $1,000 and above
• About 65% of iPhone owners and 30-49 year olds both report spending more than $249 on average in goods
purchased through their devices in the last 12 months, the highest percentages in their respective segments.
Average Spend on Consumer Goods Purchased
via Mobile Devices in Past 12 Months, by Device
2%
4% 5% 5% 2%
8% 8%
4%
6% 14% 6%
10%
13%
17%
15%
28% 14% 25%
20%
20%
33% 24%
$1,000 and above
$750 to $999
31% $500 to $749
$250 to $499
$1 to $249
75%
64% 65%
60%
48%
42%
35%
Android Blackberry iPhone/iPad Palm Symbian (e.g., Windows Other
RIM Nokia) Mobile
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 14
15. A slim majority of respondents report making more than five purchases in the last 12 months; they are
more likely to be iPhone users, men and 30 to 49 year-olds.
• 48% made between one to five purchases in the last 12 months; the rest made more than five purchases in
that period.
• Men purchase more frequently than women; similarly, iPhone users and 30 to 49 year-olds purchase more
frequently than their peers.
Frequency of Mobile Purchases in Last 12 Months
4%
8%
12% 1-5 times
48% 6-10 times
11-15 times
16-20 times
21+ times
27%
Frequency of Mobile Purchases in Last 12 Months, by Age
55%
24%
40% 18-29 yrs old
30-49 yrs old
50-64 yrs old
29%
10%
50%
7%
32% 16%
10% 4%
9% 7% 5%
2%
1-5 times 6-10 times 11-15 times 16-20 times 21 and above
Please note that the 50-64 year-old age group constitutes an insufficient sample size from which to draw statistically significant conclusions.
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 15
16. Frequency of Mobile Purchases in Last 12 Months, by Gender
57%
Female
21%
Male
38% 11%
34%
8%
14% 4%
8% 5%
1-5 times 6-10 times 11-15 times 16-20 times 21+ times
Frequency of Mobile Purchases in Last 12 Months, by Device
4% 2%
4% 5%
6% 8% 4%
7% 10%
10% 10%
8%
9%
33% 25%
11%
15% 19%
19% 24% 21 and above
27% 16-20 times
32% 11-15 times
6-10 times
67% 67% 69%
63% 60% 1-5 times
48%
36%
Android Blackberry RIM iPhone/iPad Palm Symbian (e.g., Windows Other
Nokia) Mobile
How satisfied are consumers with the mobile shopping experience?
Users appear satisfied with their mobile shopping experience, both on mobile websites and downloadable
apps.
• When asked to rate their browser and app experiences, an overwhelming majority scored them above 4 on a
scale of 1 to 7, with 7 being “very satisfied.”
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 16
17. Distribution of Satisfaction Ratings, Mobile Shopping
on Web vs App, Ranked from 1 to 7 (7 = Very Satis ed)
Very Satis ed - 7 31%
29%
6 33%
34%
5 21%
24%
Mobile shopping
4 7% with app
7%
2% Mobile shopping
3 with browser
3%
2 1%
1%
Not Satis ed - 1 1%
1%
Never used 5%
1%
• Among device owners, satisfaction differences are more pronounced. Android and iPhone users appear most
satisfied with their app experiences, likely due to the greater maturity of their app stores, which offer greater
choices. Among iPhone, Android and Blackberry users, between 85 and 90% of them rate their mobile web
shopping experience above average (i.e., above a score of four); when it comes to shopping apps, iPhone
users are most satisfied, with more than 90% ranking their app experience above 4. For details, please see
Appendix 3.
Respondents appear satisfied across a broad range of experiences on mobile shopping sites and apps.
• From load times to search, the majority of respondents rate their mobile shopping experiences positive; the
percentage of users rating their experiences negative numbered in the low-single digits.
User Ratings for Shopping Experiences on Mobile Websites
Speed & performance 51% 46% 3%
Text legibility 55% 42% 3%
Quality and quantity of imagery 53% 45% 2%
Ability to load mobile website on my phone 55% 43% 2%
Transaction process (e.g., purchase, trade, sell) 54% 44% 3% Positive
Neutral
Login process 55% 43% 2% Negative
Ability to enter and submit personal data 51% 46% 3%
Navigational bu ons (e.g., Add to Cart, Next,
53% 45% 2%
Submit, Tab, Links)
Overall navigation 53% 45% 3%
Search capability 55% 43% 2%
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 17
18. User Ratings for Shopping Experiences on Mobile Applications
Speed & performance 55% 41% 4%
Text legibility 55% 42% 3%
Quality and quantity of imagery 55% 41% 4%
Ability to load mobile application on my phone 57% 40% 3%
Transaction process (e.g., purchase, trade, sell) 57% 39% 4% Positive
Neutral
Login process 56% 41% 3% Negative
Ability to enter and submit personal data 55% 42% 3%
Navigational bu ons (e.g., Add to Cart, Next,
54% 43% 3%
Submit, Tab, Links)
Overall navigation 55% 42% 4%
Search capability 54% 42% 4%
What do shoppers want? Do they want to shop with apps or browsers? What shopping features
sway them to purchase?
In general, users prefer the browser experience for shopping-related activities.
• Respondents were asked to choose from three methods with which they prefer to shop on their mobile
devices: A mobile app, a browser to access a regular website or a browser to access a mobile-optimized
website. Preferences split three ways equally, with two-thirds preferring to use the browser to interact with
shopping content, either through a mobile-optimized website or a PC-optimized site.
Preferred Way to Shop from Mobile Device
66%
34%
Mobile browser Mobile app
• The greatest number of respondents (46%) say the browser is their primary means of accessing consumer
product or shopping content for the first time.
Primary Way of Accessing Consumer Product/Shopping
Mobile Sites/Apps for First Time
Type address into browser 46%
Browse application (app) store 28%
Link from email 15%
Link from text messages (SMS, MMS) 10%
Other 1%
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 18
19. • Across the 12 shopping-related activities measured, a majority of users prefer the browser experience,
particularly for open-ended, cross-domain activities like researching specific products and pricing
information. This is why mobile shoppers make browsers their first stop—apps do not allow them to browse
cross domain.
Distribution of users preferring browser to app to perform speci c shopping activities
81%
Researching specific product and price information
19%
71%
Comparing product and price by different retailers
29%
Viewing visual information, full-screen product imagery, alternative view,
dynamic zoom, 360 spin, video, product tours, etc.degree spin, video, 65%
35%
product tours, etc.
63%
Purchasing a product using your mobile device
37%
69%
Registering online for offers and promotions using your mobile device Mobile web
31%
browser
62%
Checking order status
38%
68%
Reading customer rating & reviews
32%
61% Mobile
Sharing product information with friends (e.g., post to Facebook page) application
39%
(downloaded)
67%
Receiving online promotions/specials/coupons
33%
Checking in-store features (location, maps, inventory availability, 64%
scannable coupons, in-store navigation, in-store pickup) 36%
68%
Using keyword search for products
32%
68%
Browsing for products using sorting/filtering options to narrow search
32%
• While the browser prevailed as the preferred experience for shopping, when users are segmented by device
and age, preferences for downloadable mobile apps are more pronounced. As a group, more iPhone and
Android users prefer apps compared to their peers. We believe these users have a stronger app preference
because the iPhone and Android platforms have a more mature apps market, offering many more apps
compared to other platforms.
• Additionally, 18-29 year-olds were more likely to access the app store than older adults, as would be
expected.
For details on browser versus app preferences segmented by age and device, please see Appendix 4.
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 19
20. A majority of respondents rate easy checkout and product & pricing information as the most important shopping
features.
• Users were asked to choose any number of features they regard most important when purchasing a product
on either a mobile website or application. Easy checkout was the top feature, chosen by 57% of the respon-
dents, followed by product and pricing information, selected by 53% of the respondents. Visual information,
including full-screen product imagery, alternative views, 360-degree spin, video, product tours, ranked the
next highest, selected by 42%, closely followed by simple keyword product search (40%). Customer ratings
and reviews (39%) and online promotions/coupons (39%) and order status (38%) were not far behind.
Features Considered Most Important When Purchasing Products
on Mobile Website or App
Easy checkout process (e.g., saved registration info with sign-in, click to call) 57%
Product and price information 53%
Visual information, full-screen product imagery, alternative view, dynamic
42%
zoom, 360-degree spin, video, product tours, etc.
Simple keyword search for products 40%
Customer ratings/reviews 39%
Online promotions/specials/coupons 39%
Order status 38%
Purchase product using mobile site/app (add to cart) 35%
In-store features (location, maps, inventory availability, scannable coupons,
34%
in-store navigation, in-store pickup)
Product comparison 31%
Sorting/ ltering options to narrow search 26%
Social sharing (e.g., post to Facebook page) 26%
Gi /wish list registries 16%
Other 1%
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 20
21. 360-degree spin is cited by the most respondents as the feature most likely to influence their purchase.
• Shoppers want sophisticated features like 360-degree spin and side-by-side product comparisons in their
mobile shopping experience. A majority (54%) cite 360-degree spin as most influential, followed by product
side-by-side comparison, selected by nearly half of the respondents. These features are closely followed by
interactive zoom/panning on images, selected by 44% of the respondents.
Visualization Features at Increase Likelihood of Purchase
on Mobile Websites
360-degree spin of a product 54%
Product side-by-side comparisons 49%
Interactive zoom/pan on images 44%
Multimedia visual combining zoom, spin, videos or animations 39%
Alternative images (on model, lifestyle, other details) 37%
Color swatching/colorizing 34%
Mix-and-match capability to coordinate out t, furniture, color, etc. 34%
Videos 33%
Catalogs & brochures 29%
Custom product design 26%
Shop by merchant recommended out t, room or collection 25%
Other 2%
Users want full-screen images when browsing multiple products.
• The rule of thumb in online commerce is that bigger is better when it comes to product images—shoppers
want as much visual information as merchants can provide.
• 49% prefer full-screen image zoom with the ability to tap on the screen to navigate left and right to see the
next or previous products.
• 46% of the respondents prefer full-screen horizontal scrolling, dragging the images left and right with
touchscreen gesturing.
User Preferences for Browsing Multiple Products
Full-screen image zoom: tapping next/previous to move right or le 49%
Full-screen horizontal scrolling: dragging or icking through images,
46%
le or right
Single image vertical scrolling down the page: dragging scroll bar up
30%
or down one image at a time
Grid view: rows/columns of images, dragging scroll bar up or down 22%
Light-table view: single full screen view, with scrolling image
thumbnail tray below, drag le or right and tap to replace new image 22%
in full view
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 21
22. Women value more mobile shopping features than men.
• More mobile shopping features were rated important by female respondents than male respondents. For
example, easy checkout was identified as important by 61% of females versus 51% of males; 44% of women
identified search important versus 36% of men. More women than men consider coupons and promotions
important (42 versus 35%); similarly for gift registries and wish lists (19% versus 13%). More men, however,
deemed product comparisons more important.
Features Considered Most Important When Purchasing Products
on Mobile Website or App, by Gender
53%
Product and price information 53%
Easy checkout process (e.g., saved registration info with sign-in, 51%
click to call) 61%
40%
Customer rating/reviews 38%
Visual information, full screen product imagery, alternative 39%
view, dynamic zoon, 360 degree spin, video, product tours, etc. 43%
39%
Order status 37%
Product comparison 36%
27%
In-store features (location, maps, inventory availability, 36%
scannable coupons, in-store navigation, in-store pickup) 33% Male
36% Female
Simple keyword search for products 44%
36%
Purchase product using mobile site/app (add to cart) 34%
Online promotions/specials/coupons 35%
42%
27%
Sorting/ ltering options to narrow search 26%
26%
Social sharing (e.g., post to Facebook page) 26%
13%
Gi /wish list registries 19%
1%
Other 1%
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 22
23. • With regards to visual and merchandising tactics, women also tend to place a premium on more features,
including color-swatching, mix-and-match, interactive zoom and alternative images (such as on-model,
lifestyle images).
• Video is one area where men prevailed over women: More men than women (38% versus 28%) say video
would influence their likelihood of purchase.
Visualization Features that Increase Likelihood of Purchase on Retailer's Mobile
Website, by Gender
54%
360-degree spin of a product 54%
50%
Product side-by-side comparisons 49%
Interactive zoom/pan on images 41%
46%
Videos 38%
28%
Multi-media visual combining zoom, spin, videos or 38%
animations 39%
Alternative images (on model, lifestyle, other details) 33%
40% Male
29%
Catalogs & brochures Female
29%
Mix and match capability to coordinate out t, furniture, 28%
color, etc. 38%
27%
Custom product design 25%
Color swatching/colorizing 27%
40%
26%
Shop by merchant recommended out t, room or collection 24%
Other 1%
2%
These results are not inconsistent with women’s dominance in online shopping. Even though they represent
just under half of U.S. Internet users, women account for 58% of eCommerce revenues.7 Women’s more
frequent interactions with online shopping make them well-informed and savvy shoppers; accordingly, they
will also have higher expectations.
7 comScore, Women on the Web, June 2010
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 23
24. Social sharing and sorting/filtering options to narrow search results were ranked by younger shoppers as
important shopping features.
• With a few exceptions, 18-29 year olds tend to place greater importance on visual information than their
older peers. As a group, they regard features like alternative images and 360-degree spin as important in
greater proportion than older age groups.
Features Considered Most Important When Purchasing Products
on Mobile Website or App, by Age
53%
Product and price information 53%
57%
32%
Product comparison 30%
32%
Visual information, full screen product
45%
imagery, alternative view, dynamic
40%
zoon, 360 degree spin, video, product 32%
tours, etc.
Purchase product using mobile site/app 36%
33%
(add to cart)
35%
Easy checkout process (e.g., saved 58%
registration info with sign-in, click to 56%
call) 52%
37%
Order Status 38%
35%
39%
Customer rating/reviews 37%
44% 18-29 yrs old
30-49 yrs old
29%
Social sharing (e.g., post to Facebook 50-64 yrs old
24%
page) 19%
41%
Online promotions/specials/coupons 37%
32%
18%
Gi /wish list registries 17%
6%
In-store features (location, maps, 35%
inventory availability, scannable 36%
coupons, in-store navigation, in-store 24%
pickup) 42%
Simple keyword search for products 39%
39%
Sorting/ ltering options to narrow 30%
search 24%
15%
Other 2%
2%
Please note that the 50-64 year-old age group constitutes an insufficient sample size from which to draw statistically significant conclusions.
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 24
25. Visualization Features that Increase Likelihood of Purchase on
Retailer's Mobile Website, By Age
59%
360-degree spin of a product 51%
37%
Alternative images (on model, lifestyle, 41%
36%
other details) 17%
30%
Catalogs brochures 28%
26%
40%
Color swatching/colorizing 31%
17%
29%
Custom product design 24%
19%
35%
Mix-and-match capability to
34%
coordinate out t, furniture, color, etc. 24% 18-29 yrs old
41% 30-49 yrs old
Multimedia visual combining zoom, 50-64 yrs old
37%
spin, videos or animations
33%
45%
53%
Product side-by-side comparisons
56%
Shop by merchant recommended 28%
22%
out t, room or collection
22%
35%
Videos 30%
33%
45%
Interactive zoom/pan on images 42%
50%
1%
Other 2%
4%
Please note that the 50-64 year-old age group constitutes an insufficient sample size from which to draw statistically significant conclusions.
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 25
26. Appendix 1 – Survey Participant Profile*
% of Total Gender distribution by age
18 -29 yr old 30 – 49 yr old 50 – 64 yr old
Male 45% 43% 46% 10%
Female 55% 53% 42% 5%
Age distribution
18-29 yr old 30-49 yr old 50-64 yr old
49% 43% 7%
Device
ownership by
gender and
age
Android Blackberry iPhone/iPad Palm Symbian Windows Other
Mobile
% of Total 19% 22% 44% 3% 2% 3% 7%
Male 21% 21% 48% 3% 2% 3% 3%
Female 17% 24% 41% 4% 2% 3% 9%
18-29 yr old 24% 21% 42% 3% 2% 2% 6%
30-49 yr old 15% 23% 50% 3% 1% 3% 6%
50-64 yr old 11% 32% 22% 9% 4% 9% 13%
Percentage of participants
owning touchscreen devices
82%
Male Female
82% 81%
18-29 yr old 30-49 yr old 50-64 yr old
84% 82% 69%
*Measures profile of 739 participants who have engaged in mobile commerce in the last 6-12 months from the
date of the survey.
Please note that the 50-64 year-old age group constitutes an insufficient sample size from which to draw statistically significant conclusions.
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 26
27. Appendix 2 –Mobile Shopping Behavior by User Segments
The amount of time users spend on mobile shopping varies by gender, age and device.
Average Weekly Time Spent
on Mobile Shopping Websites, By Age
43%
Less than 1 hour 31%
48%
30%
1-2 hours 35%
35%
20% 18-29 year-old
3-5 hours 21% 30-49 year-old
15% 50-64 year-old
5%
6-10 hours 8%
2%
2%
10+ hours 5%
Average Weekly Time Spent
on Mobile Shopping Apps, By Age
50%
Less than 1 hour 38%
63%
29%
1-2 hours 31%
28%
14% 18-29 year-old
3-5 hours 19% 30-49 year-old
7% 50-64 year-old
5%
6-10 hours 8%
3%
10+ hours 4%
2%
Please note that the 50-64 year-old age group constitutes an insufficient sample size from which to draw statistically significant conclusions.
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 27
28. Average Weekly Time Spent
on Mobile Shopping Websites, By Gender
35%
Less than 1 hour
41%
36%
1-2 hours
30%
20% Male
3-5 hours
20% Female
6%
6-10 hours
5%
3%
10+ hours
4%
Average Weekly Time Spent
on Mobile Shopping Apps, By Gender
43%
Less than 1 hour
48%
32%
1-2 hours
28%
14% Male
3-5 hours
17% Female
7%
6-10 hours
4%
3%
10+ hours
3%
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 28
29. Average Weekly Time Spent
on Mobile Shopping Websites, By Device
4%
Other 17%
26%
53%
Windows Mobile 19%
38%
43%
8%
Symbian (e.g., Nokia) 8%
25%
58%
10+ hours
6-10 hours
Palm 21% 3-5 hours
46% 1-2 hours
33% Less than 1 hour
4%
9%
23%
iPhone/iPad
33%
32%
4%
3%
Blackberry RIM 21%
35%
37%
1%
5%
Android 14%
30%
50%
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 29
30. Average Weekly Time Spent
on Mobile Shopping Apps, By Device
5%
Other 5%
18%
73%
Windows Mobile 10%
40%
50%
9%
Symbian (e.g., Nokia)
27%
64%
10+ hours
6-10 hours
Palm 9% 3-5 hours
44% 1-2 hours
48% Less than 1 hour
3%
10%
iPhone/iPad 21%
28%
38%
5%
2%
Blackberry RIM 13%
34%
46%
2%
2%
Android 11%
30%
55%
Adobe Scene7 Mobile Commerce Survey: Mobile Shopper Insights for 2011 30