• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, February 23, 2015

Almost half (40%) of mobile devices users around the world use them to compare prices while they’re in stores, according to a new global survey of 25,000 mobile phone owners by GfK. The number is a bit lower in the U.S., at 37%, with men slightly more likely than women to engage in mobile price comparison.

Other popular activities for mobile shoppers worldwide were contacting a friend or family for advice (40%), taking pictures of products they might buy later (36%), taking pictures of advertisements (29%), scanning barcodes or QR codes (28%), buying products through an app (23%), and buying products through a Web site (22%).

The latter two activities suggest that over a fifth of mobile device users are in fact engaged in “showrooming,” meaning looking at products in stores but then buying them somewhere else (albeit sometimes on the same store’s Web site).

For the U.S., mobile users were slightly more likely to get in touch with family or friends for a trusted opinion (39%) than compare prices. U.S. women were a bit more likely than men to report reaching out to family and friends, at 41% versus 37% for U.S. men.

Unsurprisingly, younger U.S. shoppers, ages 15-19, were far more likely to compare prices via mobile, at 55%, while 47% each of the 20-29 and 30-39 age cohorts also compare prices. In other commercial uses, 34% of U.S. mobile phone users take pictures of products they might buy while in the store, 26% take pictures of ads, 24% scan bar codes or QR codes, 19% buy products through a mobile app, and 17% buy products through a Web site.