Figures show rapid growth in mobile local search adoption

3GSM Barcelona, 12-15 February 2007: Figures released today by m-spatial, from its most recent quarterly Mobile Local Search Index, suggests consumers preferred movies to margaritas during the winter nights. The m-spatial Autumn/Winter Mobile Local Search Index charts local searches made on mobile phones between October and December 2006, and highlights a massive increase in film related search by UK mobile subscribers.

With the nights drawing in for the colder Autumn/Winter months, watching a good movie was very much the order of the day, with cinema searches more than doubling on the previous quarter and jumping 4 places to knock fast food from its perennial number one position.

The cinema brands: Cineworld, Odeon and Vue all climbed significantly on the Index of leading brands, knocking Tesco off the top spot for the first time in 2006, and relegating MacDonald’s from the top ten, (with the fast food chain witnessing a drop of 23 places from third position in the summer index).

Since the inaugural Mobile Local Search Index back in April 2006, consumer adoption of mobile local search has more than doubled, with Fast Food, Pubs & Drinking and Cinema topping the search league tables, and the most popular brands being Tesco, Pizza Hut and Cineworld.

Hot air ballooning, reflexology, internet café’s, nannies, vineyards, pawnbrokers, auctioneers, flying schools and marine engineers are just a few of the hundreds of thousands of local business and service searches made by users since April 2006.

Commenting on the results, Andy Walker, CEO of m-spatial said: “The Mobile Local Search Index is beginning to show a fascinating view on the variance in consumer search behaviour over the course of the year. The rapid adoption we’ve seen since the Index began in April 2006, and the accurate reflection of perceived seasonal consumer behaviour, underlines its growth as a tool that large numbers of consumers are beginning to rely on.”

Pub searches also dipped, despite massive search activity towards the end of the year. However, the festive season was enough to keep at least some of us away from the cinema, and ‘out on the town’  - with clubbing making it into top ten category searches for the first time.

Top Ten Local Search Brands* October - December 2006

* based on the final chosen result of each individual mobile search by brand. Percentage figures based on breakdown of searches to top ten brands. Ranking changes relate to July - September Mobile Local Search Index figures.

Top Ten Local Search Categories* October - December 2006

 

*based on the final chosen result of each individual mobile search by category. Percentage figures based on breakdown of searches to top ten categories. Ranking changes relate to July - September Mobile Local Search Index figures.

The Mobile Local Search Index from m-spatial tracks consumer usage of mobile local search services in the UK, highlighting the diverse and often quirky demands of today’s mobile users, and is published quarterly. 

m-spatial is exhibiting at stand 1E57 in Hall 1.

About m-spatial

 

Based in Cambridge, UK, m-spatial is the market leader in converged local search – connecting consumers to ‘local’ businesses and information via mobile phones and personal navigation devices. m-spatial provides its products via a white label ASP delivery model to mobile network operators, directory providers and personal navigation providers. Its international customers include Orange, Vodafone, O2 and Seat PagineGialle, Italy’s leading directory provider. m-spatial’s innovative and unique approach to mobile local search delivers a ‘made for mobile’ user experience which offers consumers quick and simple access to both a breadth and depth of ‘local’ information including businesses, amenities, events and traffic conditions and is compatible with the majority of mobile devices. Converged local search also offers ‘on the move’ access to the same information for businesses and amenities identified via local information channels such as third party web-sites and 118/411 directory services.

www.m-spatial.com