• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, October 16, 2009

According to a recent release from The Nielsen Company, web visitors using a mobile device increased 34% year-over-year, from 42.5 million mobile Web visitors in July 2008 to 56.9 million in July 2009. Overall, year-over-year growth among the 13-17 and 65+ age groups outpaced the growth of the total mobile Web audience, with a youth increase of 45% and seniors surging upwards 67% in July.

While men continue to make up a larger portion of mobile Web users versus women, comprising 53% of the audience in July, the growth of female visitors outpaced the growth of male visitors during the month, with women increasing 43% YOY as compared to a 26% growth among men.

Chris Quick, client services manager, mobile media, notes "... men were early-adopters of the mobile Web... (but) women are quickly embracing the benefits as ‘connected consumers,' tapping the convenience of Web access on mobile phones to network, browse the latest shopping deals and get ideas for dinner, all while on the go."

Mobile Web Audience Profile
Audience	% Composition July '09	YOY Growth %
Female	47%	43%
Male	53	26
Age Groups
13-17	12	45
18-24	11	13
25-34	28	40
35-54	38	31
55-64	9	37
65+	3	67
Source: The Nielsen Company, September 2009

From celebrity news to shopping, mobile Web usage by women traversed a variety of subjects and actions in July, including online shopping and social networking. Women were 1.4 times more likely to visit People.com and use AT&T search via a mobile Web device in July.

Top 10 Mobile Web Sites Among Women (July 2009, U.S.)
Rank	Site	% Unique Audience Composition	Composition Index By Unique Audience	Unique Audience (000)
1	People	68%	143	1,146
2	AT&T Search	68	142	564
3	Horoscope.com	66	138	558
4	Target	63	133	678
5	MySpace.com	58	121	4,116
6	Kraft Foods	58	121	438
7	T-Mobile	56	118	1,522
8	AOL Search	56	119	747
9	Facebook	55	117	8,171
10	Sprint News	55	116	630
Source: The Nielsen Company

In July, men's mobile Web interests centered on news, sports and online games. Men were 1.8 times more likely to visit Gizmodo - the technology news site - via a mobile phone, making it the No. 1 Web site visited by men on their mobile devices in July in terms of unique audience composition.

Top 10 Mobile Web Sites Among Men (July 2009, U.S.)
Rank	Site	% Unique Audience Composition	Composition Index By Unique Audience	Unique Audience (000)
1	Gizmodo	95%	180	826
2	Maxim	94	179	566
3	NBA	91	172	1,214
4	IGN	91	173	916
5	NFL	89	168	1,819
6	Drudge Report	89	168	626
7	Business Week	88	167	536
8	CNET	86	162	1,759
9	CBS Sports	86	163	1,162
10	Wired	86	162	523
Source: The Nielsen Company

Teen usage of mobile phones focuses heavily on texting, both sending and receiving. In Q2 2009, the top-ranked mobile activity for teens was messaging, with 84% of teens sending a text message and 55% of teens sending a picture message.

Top 10 Teen Mobile Media Usage (% of Teens 13-17)
Media	% of Teens Using
Text messaging	84%
Picture messaging/MMS	55
Ringtone downloads	44
Instant messaging	42
Picture downloads	35
Wallpaper/screensavers	32
Email	30
Text alerts	30
Content uploads	27
Game downloads	21
Source: The Nielsen Company, September 2009

For more information from the NielsenWire, please visit here.