Nielsen: Differences in mobile shopping between smartphone and tablet users

According to Nielsen's Q1 2012 survey, most (79%) US smartphone and tablet users use their mobile devices for shopping-related activities, with smartphones being used more frequently than tablets on the go: locating stores (73% vs. 42% tablets), using shopping lists when shopping (42% vs. 16%), and redeeming mobile coupons (36% vs. 11%). Tablet users are more likely to use their devices to shop online: 42% of tablet users have used their devices to purchase goods, compared to only 29% of smartphone users.

One of the most popular behaviors among smartphone and tablet users is researching products before purchasing (66% for tablet users and 57% for smartphone users), but relatively few mobile users use their devices to pay (27% for smartphone users and 28% for tablet users). However, as more payment systems are launched and users become more comfortable with mobile payments, mobile payments will gradually become more popular.