In the new “American Shopper Study” BrandSpark and Better Homes and Gardens took a look at the best new products from 2011 and found some interesting findings about mobile shopping. The study surveyed more than 66,000 consumers online.

“There is a sense that when retailers’ technology catches up with consumers and what they are doing on their mobile devices, there will be a huge potential for them,” said Robert Levy, founder/president at BrandSpark, Toronto, Canada.

“The faster retailers can get their stores equipped for mobile, it will be a more powerful tool for them.”

BrandSpark is a market research and brand strategy firm that focuses on consumer trends and segmentation.

Retail opportunity
The study look place from Nov. 7  to Dec. 20 and was the fourth time the study was done in the United States.

Fifty percent of all shoppers surveyed said they owned a smartphone, with Android and iPhone devices leading the pack with approximately 70 percent of smartphone ownership, signaling the rapid growth in mobile adoption.

The study also found that although iPhone devices are most desired by consumers, Android claims the most market share.

Twenty-seven percent of smartphone owners said they owned an iPhone device and 41 percent of handset owners had an Android device.

BlackBerry device ownership accounted for 17 percent of all handsets, and Windows 7 Phone claimed 4 percent of smartphone ownership.

Although consumers know about mobile bar codes, many are not interacting with their devices to use them. Seventy-seven percent of users surveyed know about QR codes, and 19 percent of those consukers have used them to access product information.

Forty-six percent of consumers surveyed said they used their device to make or store a shopping list, showing how retailers can leverage the in-store experience to target shoppers.

Twenty-seven percent of the consumers surveyed said they were aware of NFC, showing the gap that between consumers and mobile payments.

The data on NFC will be used by BrandSpark as benchmark data for a larger campaign centered around NFC in Canada.

Consumers are increasingly more comfortable making purchases via their devices.

For example, 38 percent of consumers said they would be interested in making a purchase via their devices.

When it comes to applications, shoppers are looking for information, per the study.

Thirty-six percent of consumers surveyed said they would use an app that educates them on new food, beauty or grooming or household products.

Twenty-four percent of consumers said they would not use an app.

Mobile upgrade
In addition to increased mobile usage, consumers are also updating their devices. Thirty-eight percent of consumers said they planned to buy a smartphone in the next year, including 25 percent of non smartphone owners currently.

Tablets continue to be seen as a shopping vessel with 22 percent of consumers surveyed saying that they owned a tablet.

The iPad reigned as the No. 1 tablet, capturing two-thirds of overall tablet ownership. Android’s Samsung Galaxy Tab device claimed the No. 2 spot.

“Essentially the study is just proof of the rapid growth of mobile,” Mr. Levy said.

“People have these devices and are prepared to use them,” he said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York