Report of 30-Nation Study Indicates Meeting and Creating Information Needs of Young and Upscale Consumers Can be Instrumental to Growth of Wireless Internet

June 1 2002

A report based upon a 30-nation study of established and emerging mobile markets, conducted by Taylor Nelson Sofres posits that the growth of the burgeoning mobile Internet can be fueled by marketers who meet the current information needs of target consumers and create demand for new types of information via this medium.

The report, "Wireless and Internet Technology Adoption by Consumers Around the World," reveals that consumers under age 25, and upscale consumers will drive demand for 3G, much as these two groups drove the overall mobile phone market. The interest of the youth segment is particularly strong in Western Europe and the United States.

High Interest in Applications of 3G
(Among Current Internet Users/Mobile Phone Owners )

 
Western Europe
Eastern Europe
USA
Total 22% 26% 25%
Under 25 37% 30% 45%
25 to 34 27% 26% 26%
35 to 49 19% 25% 27%
50 and over 9% 24% 10%

("High Interest" based upon a six-point interest scale, where ratings of 5 and 6 indicate high interest.)

Among consumers who are interested in a mobile Internet, the uses of greatest interest are communication and information, followed by financial applications of m-payments, m-banking and m-trading. There also appear to be many niche applications, such as chat rooms, forums, etc.

Interest in Applications of 3G
(Among Current Internet Users/Mobile Phone Owners Interested in 3G)

 
Western Europe
Eastern Europe
USA
Emails 4.5 4.7 4.3
City maps/directions 4.3 4.2 4.2
Latest news 4.0 4.4 4.0
Authorize/enable payment 3.4 3.8 3.0
Banking/trading online 3.5 3.4 3.2
Downloading music 3.1 3.4 3.2
Shopping/reservations 3.0 3.1 2.9
Animated images 2.4 2.7 2.6
Chat rooms, forums 2.3 2.9 2.2
Interactive games 2.0 2.2 2.4
Games for money 1.8 1.8 1.8

(Means based upon a six-point interest scale, where 6 indicates high interest and 1 indicates low interest.)

"Any company that wants to maximize the impact of 3G must rigorously follow a market focussed, consumer-centric approach," said Chandra Chaterji, Senior Vice President of Taylor Nelson Sofres Global Information Technology Practice. "The key question should be 'How can we leverage our brand to market a bundle of products or services employing mobile networks?'"

 

The report concludes that in an increasingly segmented market, the winners will be those who understand consumer needs in terms of mobility and meet these needs by delivering branded products and services. The report hypothesizes that marketers can deliver these branded offerings by forming strategic alliances with businesses that provide networks, content, hardware and/or software. For those marketers whose core competencies are in consumer insights, new-product development and branding, the potential is huge and virtually untapped.

Further information can be found in the report, Wireless and Internet Technology Adoption by Consumers Around the World.

About the Report
"Wireless and Internet Technology Adoption by Consumers Around the World" analyzes key issues surrounding adoption of the Internet, wireless and mobile phone technology by consumers worldwide. It is based on studies conducted globally by Taylor Nelson Sofres.
The report provides data and insights about mobile phone penetration, mobile phone usage and consumer market structure in 30 countries in North America, Eastern and Western Europe, East and South Asia and the Asia Pacific region. A copy of the report can be downloaded for free at www.intersearch.tnsofres.com or www.tnsofres.com.

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