38 per cent of US smartphone owners have used their phone to make a purchase at least once in the course of their device ownership, according to a study on US mobile retail usage which forms part of comScore’s Mobile Retail Advisor report. This is a twice-yearly report that focuses on the evolving mobile retail environment, with insights from comScore syndicated products as well as a custom survey. The most popular items bought on smartphones during September 2011 included digital goods, clothing/accessories, tickets and daily deals.

“Fuelled by smartphone adoption, mobile is becoming a central part in the shopping funnel for many consumers,” says Mark Donovan, comScore’s senior vice president for mobile. “In September, we saw two-thirds of all smartphone owners perform shopping activities on their phones, including comparing products and prices, searching for coupons, taking product pictures or locating a retail store. Considering there are currently 90m smartphone owners in the US, retailers without a well-developed mobile strategy are not only missing a tremendous opportunity with these customers, but also risk becoming obsolete in the minds of these digital omnivores.”

Digital content purchases, such as music, eBooks, TV episodes and movies, were the most popular mobile purchases in September with 47 per cent of smartphone purchasers buying these items. 37 per cent bought clothing or accessories directly from a retailer, while 35 per cent of buyers bought event tickets. Slightly more than one in three mobile buyers bought daily deals and gift certificates on their device during the month.

Analysis of where consumers were located when they bought products or services on their smartphone found that 56 per cent did so while at home, making it the most popular purchase location. 42 per cent of consumers made purchases while out of home (i.e. restaurants, parks, etc.) or at work, with 37 per cent making purchases while traveling/commuting. Slightly more than one in three buyers used their smartphone to make a purchase while in a store, highlighting the increasingly important role mobile is playing in consumers’ brick and mortar retail experience, especially as a tool for real-time price and product comparisons.