• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, January 24, 2012

According to survey results from Zmags, reported by Kevin Woodward, Senior Editor of Internet Retailer, consumers who own tablets tend to like to shop, and make more spontaneous purchases than consumers who do not own tablets.

Mobile and tablet apps, on their own however, are not meeting connected consumers’ browsing and purchasing needs. Only 4% like to shop using mobile apps, compared to 87% of PC owners, 14% of smartphone owners and 9% of tablet owners who prefer to browse and buy from Web and mobile sites.

The survey conducted by Equation Research in November, found that:

• 14% of consumers who own tablet computers classified themselves as spontaneous shoppers compared with 9% of those who do not own a tablet.
• 9% of tablet owners said they were addicted to shopping, compared with 3% of those not owning a tablet
• 9% of tablet owners said they tend to buy luxury items than non-tablet owners

53% of tablet owners shopped for electronics, topping the list of most-preferred products to buy using a tablet, followed by:

• Books, 41%
• Toys, 39%
• Clothing, 27%
• Music, 33%

Sean Ford, Zmags chief operating officer and chief marketing officer, says that “... tablets stand out as better than smartphones for shopping for clothing and electronics products... 37% were more likely to buy clothing while using a tablet than on a smartphone... 53% would prefer to shop for electronics using a tablet...  while 35% preferred a smartphone... “

Zmags says that the average connected consumer is not a texting teenager or a hipster with more devices than flannel shirts. 52% of tablet owners are women and 81% of all tablet owners use Facebook. She is 40 years old, earns $63,000, loves to browse catalogs and is enthusiastic about shopping via her devices. On average, a tablet owner spent $325 during the survey period.

29% of tablet owners says convenience drives their shopping because they spend a lot of time using the device, while:

• 24% tend to browse sites, hoping to be inspired to make a purchase.
• 14% like the ease of making a transaction;
• 13% have a specific product or offer in mind;
• 11% shopped because of an advertisement for a product;
• 9% choose a tablet because of the ease of sharing products or deals via social networks

To see the original article, please visit here, or see additional information from ZMags here.