eMarketer: Local searches are becoming the norm for smartphone users

National advertisers account for 40% of U.S. local media spending this year

According to a survey conducted by Google, Ipsos MediaCT and Purchased in January 2014, American consumers like local searches. The study surveyed American smartphone users aged 18 and above who searched on their smartphones at least once a week and found that 4/5 of the respondents had searched for local information using search engines on their smartphones or computers/tablets.

What are they searching for, and on what devices? Most respondents search for store hours, store addresses, directions to stores, and product inventory when near a store, with some of these activities only occurring on smartphones, while others are performed on both computers and tablets.

Although it’s well known that people often search for local information on the go, smartphone searchers are more likely to use their phones to search for local information when they’re at home than when they’re on the go.

In-store searches via smartphones are also very popular, so smartphones are often used for in-store shopping today. In short, many searchers use smartphones anytime and anywhere, and except for local searches at home, the usage rate of computers and tablets in other places is lower than that of smartphones.

The study found that local searchers often take action, with the average consumer visiting a physical store within a day of a local search via smartphone, as well as 34% of desktop/tablet searchers. Additionally, 18% of local searches on smartphones result in a purchase, compared to 7% for non-local searches.

Advertisers are responding to consumers’ high rates of local searches—particularly national advertisers. eMarketer, based on BIA/Kelsey data, forecasts that national advertisers will increase their U.S. local media ad spending by 8.4% in 2014, from $50.2 billion in 2013 to $54.4 billion—or nearly 40% of all local media ad spending. We estimate that local advertisers will spend $83.6 billion this year, up 0.7%.