The study surveyed consumers who owned an iOS, Android or Windows smartphone or tablet and had used them previously to research products. In addition to researching products, the study found that consumers expect more out a mobile experience than bare-bones features.

“In general, mobile is such a ubiquitous product and smartphones have such new high expectations to them that consumers are getting the same utility on mobile as they are on desktop,” said Sandy Shanman, senior vice president of mobile solution sales and business development at Limelight Networks, Tempe, AZ.

Research first
Of the consumers surveyed who said they used their device to research products, one-third do it regularly, either weekly or monthly.

Consumers also expected more from their mobile experience, citing features such as price comparisons, reviews, recommendations and videos as all aspects that consumers are looking for on mobile Web sites and apps.

“It’s not just about doing a transaction – it is now about being able to create a full immerse experience,” Mr. Shanman said.

Consumers are also looking for speed on their mobile devices, which makes sense given the on-the-go quality of mobile.

In the study, 80 percent of consumers admit to immediately quitting their shopping experience if they have a bad experience on their mobile device, which proves that marketers need to be thinking of ways not only to hook consumers into a mobile service but create a seamless experience that makes them stay.

Thirty-four percent of mobile device owners in the study said that they purchased items regularly or very often from their mobile devices.

Thirty-three percent of respondents said that they purchase items occasionally – or once every three to six months – on their mobile devices.

Buy elsewhere
The study also looked in-depth of how consumers bought items that they researched on their mobile devices.

Eighty-three of the respondents had researched and purchased a product using a mobile-optimized Web site, showing that the majority of consumers who use their devices are making transactions on them.

Seventy-six percent of consumers have bought a product at the store after researching it on their mobile device.

Additionally, 72 percent of consumers who researched a product bought the product on the retailer’s Web site.

Seventy-one percent of consumers surveyed said they used their mobile device to research items while they were in-store.

Additionally, consumers had high expectations for mobile sites.

For example, 88 percent ranked either load time or product images as very important to their overall mobile experiences. Eighty-two percent of consumers said optimization is key and they wanted an experience that matched their device.

“Once you have a mobile presence and you can accelerate it, make sure that the experience is on par with the same desktop and laptop experience,” Mr. Shanman said.

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