Smartphone and tablet users who search for gas and convenience store information (“gas and convenience searchers”) tend to be ready to act on what they find, according to the latest data release from the “Mobile Path-to-Purchase Study” [download page], conducted by Telmetrics and xAd. About 2 in 3 smartphone searchers said they look to make a purchase decision immediately (35%) or within an hour (31%) of their search, with another 24% saying they’ll make their purchase that day. Tablet users are a little slower to their purchase (which makes sense given that far fewer are searching outside of the house, per separate results from the study), but 40% still say they’re looking to make their purchase within the hour or sooner.
Interestingly, despite their intentions to make a decision quickly, only 33% of smartphone users and 31% of tablet users said they knew exactly what they were looking for when searching on their devices, indicating that most are still weighing their options and open to influence.
So what types of information factor into their decisions? Most commonly, gas and convenience searchers are looking to find and compare pricing (66% smartphone; 61% tablet), with some also checking out reviews to help them decide on a location (36% smartphone; 29% tablet). Only about in 10 are trying to find online deals.
Pricing and location are unsurprisingly the top reasons for going to one of these establishments after visiting a website or application. Among gas station visitors, 37% said the top reason was because it was in their price range, while 31% said it was because the station was close to their location. Among convenience store visitors, location played more of a role: proximity (42%) and exact location (15%) were the top reasons for visiting a particular store.
About the Data: The results are based on a survey of 2,000 smartphone and tablet users.
