Poor weather means fewer searches on mobiles for local attractions

 Cambridge, UK, 23rd August 2007: Mobile phone users played it safe in a wet early summer, as rain-shy consumers made fewer searches for places of interest to spend the day out. Compared to the same time last year, m-spatial’s Q2 Mobile Local Search Index 2007 highlights a decrease in searches made for history and culture (down 16%), scenic places (down 37%) and sports grounds and stadiums (down 32%). Conversely, searches for travel agents – as people sought hotter climes, increased by 137%. 

 The m-spatial Q2 Mobile Local Search Index 2007 charts local searches made on mobile phones in the second quarter of 2007 – April to June.

 The Mobile Local Search Index highlights consumer trends, and when compared with results twelve months ago, shows interesting movements in brand popularity over the last year. In the Q2 Mobile Local Search Index 2006, McDonalds was the third most popular search result brand, behind Pizza Hut and Tesco’s, yet the backlash against unhealthy eating over the last twelve months has seen the global corporation drop out of the top 10, with 61% less searches for the brand taking place.

 Commenting on the results, Andy Walker, CEO of m-spatial, said: “The results for Q2 shows how unpredictable weather affects what people are looking for, and the poor start to the summer resulted in a substantial increase in people looking for foreign holidays – and a significant drop in people looking to spend days out in the UK.

 “We’re also seeing how the media affects search and subsequent spending behaviour. Healthy eating campaigns may have forced McDonalds to change their menu, yet fewer people are looking for the nearest Big Mac when compared to other fast-food offerings.”

 Another key trend to be highlighted by the index is the amount of searches made for cinemas, with Odeon, Cineworld and Vue all now established in the top 10 search result brands, when 12 months ago not one was listed. Originally, it was thought that this was a seasonal variation, but it now appears to reflect wider consumer trends and the effect of other promotions connected with m-spatial’s white label mobile local search partners.

 The m-spatial Mobile Local Search Index first started in April 2006, and provides quarterly results on what mobile users are searching for. The more esoteric searches to take place between April and June 2007 included searches for livestock markets, Scottish restaurants, and ski-lifts and aerial cableways.

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