18 per cent of US consumers are using a connected device to buy things even when physically located  in the store, while 28 per cent engage in comparison shopping on a mobile device when in a store.

These are two of the findings of the latest Mobile Audience Insights report from location-based mobile media company JiWire, which examines connected-device adoption, location- and mobile-shopping trends, as well as check-in behaviour and public wi-fi trends. The report reveals that where check-ins are concerned, consumers are split evenly between liking, disliking and not interested.

Comparing male and female mCommerce activity, the report reveals that 73 per cent of males make purchases on their mobile devices, compared to 61 per cent of females. A consumer’s proximity to a store also influences purchasing behaviours significantly. 66 per cent of consumers prefer shopping for a $50 dollar item at a store they visit regularly if within five miles of it; however, when the same consumers are 20 miles away from the same store, 72 per cent prefer making the purchase on their laptop or mobile device.

“The retail experience remains critical,” notes David Staas, senior vice president of marketing at JiWire. “While consumers are increasingly using mobile to research and make purchases, we are seeing that the in-store shopping experience is equally, if not more important, even with a tech-savvy audience. This holiday season, brands have a great opportunity to not only leverage digital and mobile, but also execute ‘clicks-to-bricks’ approaches to drive in-store traffic, utilizing location and proximity to deliver the right advertising experience.”

Looking at devices, the report finds that Tablet usage has almost doubled in the past year, growing by 84 per cent since Q4 2010. Since last quarter, Tablets and smartphones are showing relative growth in usage, while other devices such as netbooks and laptops have remained stable or declined. Tablet usage is up 20 per cent, smartphone usage is up 24 percent and by comparison, laptop usage is down 10 percent.

The report also reveals that consumer purchase intent is 50 per cent higher for smartphones and/or Tablets compared to laptops over the next six months (25 per cent versus 16 per cent), continuing to accelerate the shift in device ownership.
82 per cent of the Tablet audience is willing to make purchases directly on their mobile devices (smartphone or Tablet), compared with 76 per cent of smartphone owners, while 67 per cent of Tablet owners are willing to spend $50 or more, compared to 57 per cent of smartphone owners and 52 per cent of laptop owners.

Electronics, retail, entertainment and travel are the most frequently purchased categories, with Tablet owners leading all of these categories in terms of purchase frequency.

Despite the continued hype around checking in, the jury is still out when it comes to consumer attitudes around this component of location media. In fact, consumers are split three ways; 35 per cent feel positive toward it, 35 per cent either do not like it or understand it, and 30 per cent do not care about checking in. Additionally, the primary drivers of this trend appear to be among males. For example, 39 per cent of males claim that they “like” or “love” checking in while only 30 per cent of women feel that way about checking in. Not surprising, the most popular check-in categories are restaurants, hotels, pubs/bars and health clubs.

JiWire’s Mobile Audience Insights report is based on data from approximately 315,000 public wi-fi locations, plus a survey of more than 2,000 US customers, randomly selected across JiWire’s Wi-fi Media Channel from July 2011 to September 2011. JiWire serves ads to over 30,000 public wi-fi locations in N. America, and records data from every ad request.