• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, May 23, 2016

According to Nielsen’s fourth-quarter 2015 Mobile Wallet Report, 37% of respondents said their purchases start with mobile shopping more than one-quarter to half of the time. In addition to growing as a new purchase channel, mobile commerce offers a plethora of opportunities for marketers and advertisers looking to reach their desired consumers, notes the report.

Consumers handle a lot of their shopping activities on their mobile devices, and savvy consumers do their due diligence before handing over their cash. 72% of smartphone shoppers research an item before purchasing it, 70% check the price of an item and 60% use a store locator to find a store where they can buy their desired product of choice.

For many Americans, smartphones are as much a necessity in their daily lives as the air they breathe and the food they eat. These devices are constant companions, watching favorite shows and movies, keeping up with friends, learning new languages and managing finances, notes the report.

While smartphones are used often in mobile shopping, tablets are used as well. 66% of tablet shoppers researched an item before purchasing it, followed by 57% of tablet shopper checking the price of an item. 51% of tablet shoppers read a review of an item they purchased or plan to purchase.

Factors most important to consumers when they’re shopping on mobile include such things as the fact that 62% of consumers want to be able to see product pictures over everything else when shopping on a mobile phone. 48% of shoppers want mobile-friendly versions of the websites they visit via mobile, and 44% of respondents said that having the product descriptions was also highly important, says the report.

After purchasing, says the report, consumers’ predominant shopper activity is tracking order progress (65%), followed by visiting a retailer site/app on their mobile device to browse and/or shop again (51%). 33% of consumers say they use their smartphones to sign up for a rewards program after making a purchase on their smartphone.

For more information from Nielsen, please visit here.