Latest Research From TNS Reveals Unlimited Opportunities

Latest Research From TNS Reveals Unlimited Opportunities For Business As Growth Of Mobile Smartphones In New Zealand Goes Mainstream

Auckland, 24 April 2012, New Zealanders are at the forefront of a dramatic change in the way people make purchasing decisions, judging by their uptake of mobile smartphone technology in the previous 12 months.

In the last 12 months New Zealanders have increased their ownership of smartphones, with almost half of those aged 31-40 years old owning a smartphone, closely followed by those aged 22-30 years.

These findings are based on the annual Mobile Life study by global consultancy firm TNS, which explores the behaviours, motivations and priorities of mobile use among 48,000 people in 58 countries. The study found that New Zealanders own approximately five technology devices, and the way in which we utilise these devices is set to change dramatically with the rise of mobile commerce, location based services (LBS) and the desire to use mobile in the path to purchase.

“New Zealanders across demographics are becoming more willing to spend more on their next device than they previously have, highlighting that people desire more utility from their mobile devices,” says David Thomas, Director TNS New Zealand.

The TNS Mobile Life study found that mobile usage in New Zealand is becoming increasingly data-based rather than voice based creating an opportunity for Mobile internet and MMS applications for business. Similar to global trends, in New Zealand location-based services (LBS) is the mobile feature set to grow the most over the next 12 months.

Currently only 7% of New Zealanders use LBS on their phone daily compared to 19% percent globally, and that is primarily used for navigation. However, an additional 20% of New Zealanders who don’t currently use LBS are very interested in doing so. The potential for growth of LBS in New Zealand provides local business, especially those in the hospitality and tourism sectors, with an opportunity to directly target consumers.

“We are really starting to see location based services ‘come of age’. People are realising that sharing their location often offers some kind of reward in terms of a discount or deal. It is the combination of time and context – directing people towards a deal when they can easily redeem it – that unlocks a powerful tool for marketers to develop precise targeting approaches,” says Mr Thomas.

Mobile smartphone technology is also having a significant impact on M-commerce, and New Zealand consumers are motivated to use their device in this way. In New Zealand there is strong demand across all demographic groups for mobile banking services, and it is expected to grow in the future. Currently 28% of New Zealanders are using mobile banking, double that of the global average. In addition, a further 39% of New Zealanders are interested in utilising mobile banking services. While mobile wallet services usage in New Zealand is currently low (6%) however, there is potential for growth with 42% of Kiwis surveyed stating they were interested in Mobile wallet services.

“The results of our study show that mobile banking growth will be driven by solutions that facilitate easy access to accounts, buying phone credit and paying utility bills, for example. The freedom to access banking services on the go, as well as the convenience are major drivers of mobile banking solutions, and financial institutions need to be aware of that,” says Mr Thomas.

The key findings of the Mobile Life study, released today by TNS, are available at www.tnsglobal.com/mobilelife.

ENDS

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