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 |
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