More than a million Irish people now open to mobile ads – study
The number of Irish adults who own a smartphone has jumped by 20pc to 750,000 since the end of 2010, according to a new study, which also suggests that more than a million people are open to mobile ads, and that there is increasing openness to location-based advertising.
Carried out by Behaviour & Attitudes for Return2Sender, the research into Irish smartphone trends suggests that, based on last year’s figures, ownership will grow by another 80,000 in the next six months.
The study also found that the number of mobile consumers accessing internet via mobile phone has increased by 5pc. More than one in four adults now source information online via mobile phone, an estimated 990,000 people. News, entertainment and travel information are most commonly searched for.
The research reveals that mobile app downloads have increased by 13pc and almost a fifth of adults would download an app from one of their favourite brands. More than 5m apps have been downloaded in Ireland this year so far.
IPhone users represent approximately 40pc of all smartphone owners and the research shows that users of the iPhone are a little older than general smartphone users.
According to Return2Sender, the research also reveals that people are looking to advertisers to up their game with better targeting and relevance via location based ads. “Mobile ads are appealing to more and more Irish consumers,” said the company. “Return2Sender research found that the upward trend in accepting mobile ads continues with the emergence that location is key: ads based on location are well received by all mobile phone advertising enthusiasts. Those open to mobile phone advertising are well spread across all age groups from 16 to 49 years, and relatively evenly balanced by gender.”
“We already know that mobile is ramping up fast and the phones are out there,” said Donald Douglas, managing director, Return2Sender. “But what we are really excited to hear is that consumers are actively seeking out brands on their mobiles and unsurprisingly asking for a better experience via location aware advertising.”
“Our third round of research is once again extremely positive for the Irish digital and mobile industry,” he continued.
“The mobile industry is strongly buoyed by another jump in smartphone ownership and by the one million adults that are open to receiving mobile ads. Mobile consumers in Ireland are constantly evolving and are now determining where the market goes. At the moment what stands out is the trend towards location-based engagement. Given that consumers still spend 90pc of their money in the shops the opportunity to intercept them with mobile engagement at or near the point of purchase is where the big wins are.”