80 Percent of UK Mobile Restaurant Searchers Make a Purchase – Most Within the Day, Says xAd/Telmetrics 2013 U.K. Mobile Path to Purchase Study
(PRWEB) November 26, 2013 -- With the number (19 million*) of U.K. consumers eating out at least once a week reaching an all time high, new xAd/Telmetrics Mobile Path-to-Purchase research findings show the increasingly dominant role that mobile plays in U.K. restaurant research. Mobile is the only media used by half of mobile restaurant searchers (49 percent), and 50 percent say mobile devices are the most important media source for their restaurant research. Restaurant marketers have a short window of opportunity to influence this high conversion category as most (78 percent) mobile-driven U.K. restaurant searches result in a purchase/booking and 59 percent want to make a decision the same day. The research, from the Restaurant category of the U.K. Mobile Path-to-Purchase study, was commissioned by xAd, a leading mobile-location based advertising network, and Telmetrics, the top mobile call measurement provider, and conducted by Nielsen.
xAd/Telmetrics U.K. Restaurants Mobile Path-to-Purchase Infographic
“With holiday celebrations commencing and Christmas and New Year dining reservations creating a peak in activity, restaurant marketers have an opportunity to impact consumers' purchase decisions,” said Bill Dinan, president of Telmetrics. “Marketers can help capture and monetize the large number of mobile restaurant searchers that ultimately book a reservation or visit the restaurant with well targeted mobile ad campaigns that are locally relevant and offer upfront contact info.”
Location Crucial to Mobile Restaurant Searchers
Mobile advertisers need to ensure their campaigns are locally relevant as location proximity is a key purchase influencer. For smartphone restaurant researchers, of which half are using their device on the go, nearly 3 out of 4 expect the restaurant to be within five miles, including a quarter who expect it to be within walking distance. Looking up locations is the most popular restaurant search activity (69 percent) and map/navigational apps/sites are 36 percent more popular for restaurant searches than the other categories studied (Auto and Travel). Location is also important to tablet searchers as 60 percent expect restaurant locations to be within five miles.
“Local is at the heart of effective mobile ad campaigns and is an especially key component to engaging mobile restaurant searchers and driving reservations,” said Monica Ho, vice president of marketing for xAd Inc. “As smartphone searchers dining decisions are heavily influenced by location, advertisers need to tailor their campaigns to be at the right place, at the right time, with the right message.”
Restaurant Searchers Make Quick Purchase Decisions So Contact Info Key
Timing is everything and, across the three categories studied, restaurant searchers have the fastest purchase times with 60 percent of mobile searchers looking to make a decision the same day. This includes 1 out of 3 smartphone searchers making a decision within the hour. Also, half of mobile restaurant searches involve looking for contact info such as location, directions and phone numbers, which often indicates a high conversion prospect in this category. Ultimately, 1 out of 3 U.K. smartphone searchers made a call to the restaurant.
Star Impact: Diner Reviews Aid Restaurant Searchers’ Decisions
User reviews are the most important mobile restaurant research feature and 58 percent of mobile searchers use reviews in their purchase decisions. Restaurants that fare well on review sites and/or include menus as well as reputably sourced reviews on their mobile websites will likely see more business/bookings. Reviews are the top search activity for tablet searchers who also use their devices more heavily for researching menu options. Overall, the top three most important features for mobile restaurant searchers are: online reviews, location proximity and an optimized website. A mobile-optimized site is key for monetizing mobile traffic as most restaurant searchers use mobile websites rather than apps.
About the Study
In February 2013, Nielsen conducted an online survey of more than 1,500 U.K. smartphone and tablet users who reported that they had engaged in a Restaurant-, Travel- or Automotive-related mobile activity in the past 30 days. The three categories were chosen as they rank among the top vertical markets projected to show major mobile growth over the next 3 to 5 years. The U.K. study is a complement to the xAd-Telmetrics U.S. Mobile Path-to-Purchase Study, which was first conducted in 2012.
More details are available at mobilepathtopurchase.com
About Telmetrics, Inc.
For more than 20 years, Telmetrics has been the call measurement industry leader. Telmetrics’ call tracking solutions, which are available in North America and across Europe, track the lead generation quality of local search advertising and pay per call programs for the leading brands in local search. This includes both publishers and agencies that serve millions of SMBs and national franchise locations across North America and Europe. With greater visibility into advertising performance across all media channels—digital, mobile, print and more—media publishers, agencies and advertisers can optimize the media mix for higher quality lead generation, resulting in increased revenues and a more complete picture of ROI across converging media. For more information, visit Telmetrics.com.
About xAd
Since 2009, xAd has grown to become one of the largest mobile-location based advertising networks in the U.S. and the only one offering the ability to target mobile audiences using a combination of location signal and search context, leading to performance that is 3 to 5 times above the industry average. Across its network, xAd aggregates and manages the largest network of location verified mobile inventory in the industry, resulting in billions of location-specific ad impressions per month and over one million national and local advertisers. xAd is based in New York City with several satellite offices across the U.S. and internationally. For more information, visit xAd.com.
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*Per Allegra Strategies’ Eating Out in the UK report:
http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Trends-Reports/Value-of-hospitality-and-foodservice-market-to-reach-90bn-by-2018
Meggan Manson, Young & Associates, +1 (301) 371-6995, [email protected]
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