• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, January 12, 2016

From apps to search engine, the consumer journey from discovery to completion continues to become increasingly disjointed, and it will only become more complicated as Internet-connected devices come online. There will be about 6.4 billion connected devices worldwide in 2016, and 20.8 billion IoT devices by 2020, per Gartner.

Among consumers participating in a study conducted by International Data Corporation (IDC) on behalf of YP, 63% reach for their smartphone to find a location compared with 59% on desktop or laptop -- but 60% and 62% find it more convenient to find prices on the desktop and laptop, respectively, vs. their 58% on their smartphone.

Coupon hunters search on their desktop more often at 66%, compared with 58% on smartphones. Surprisingly, 56% of review seekers search for information on desktops vs 50% on smartphones, per the findings. Not surprisingly, 86% used smartphones at home vs 89% who use desktops and 92% who use laptops.

Overall, for 63% of the survey participants it takes less than an hour to complete a local search, compared with 22% who take more than one hour but less than a day on average. Some 7% either take more than one day but less than three, or more than three days.

Part two of the IDC survey, Local Search Unleashing Opportunities for National Advertisers, analyzes responses from 750 U.S. adults about their recent search behavior. It focuses on eight specific local search scenarios across vertical industries such as insurance, financial services, auto parts and service, retail, travel and lodging, automotive, casual dining, and business services. About 80% of the 18 to 44 year olds surveyed use smartphones for personal activities, slightly above the U.S. average.

When it comes to travel searches, 36% of searchers start on a general search engine 17% visit specific sites as the first step in the search process. Among the top second actions, 17% visit a specific site, 10% review content, and 10% read customer reviews. In the top third actions, 11% read customer reviews, 8% visit specific sites, and 8% go on to review content. In the fourth actions, 8% read customer reviews, 5% visit specific sites, and 5% read professional reviews.

These travel searches occur at different times, with 54% of searchers conducting three or more search activities in the first action. Some 46% complete the top second actions within the first hour. About 10% of mobile searches are on the go, and 48% use a smartphone.

Searches for casual dining restaurants were fast and mobile. They required the fewest actions, but did require maps and directories. Many will make decision on coupons, per the report.

When it comes to searching for information about local causal restaurants, 33% search on a general search engine and 12% go on to search for coupons in the first action. In the top second actions, 10% started with a local director, and 10% read customer reviews. In the top third actions, 7% read customer reviews, 6% searched for coupons, and 6% used maps. In the fourth top actions, 4% used maps, 3% read customer reviews, 3% used coupons, and 3% used local directories.