Consumers Turn to Tablets to Research Purchase Decisions – Multidevice usage common among consumers researching products and services
eMarketer
Online’s role in researching products and services has been well documented, but a study from Local Corporation conducted by the e-tailing group offered greater insight into the role of mobile devices—particularly tablets—in the purchase-decision process. Not surprisingly, desktop and laptop computers are no longer the only means of performing digital research. Findings showed more than 60% of North American consumers researched products or services multiple times a month via a mobile device, pointing to a growing trend among internet users to use various digital devices to inform their purchase decisions.
Tablets certainly played a role in this process, with 80% of all tablet owners surveyed saying they used their tablet to research and buy products. The study found 23% of respondents did so in conjunction with their desktop or laptop PCs. In addition, 19% of tablet users also turned to their mobile phones to research and make purchases.