39% of cell phone buyers research phones on the internet

Fact recorded on: July 13, 2008. Categories: E-commerce, Handhelds, Internet usage, Mobile usage, Search engines, WWW.

People take advantage of the internet to explore cell phone options (39% do) and within this group, many report that something they found online influenced the choice they made. At the same time, perhaps because a cell phone has a plethora of technical features, people are drawn to expertise associated with traditional gatekeepers, according to Pew Internet Project. More people consult a salesperson (59%) or go to a cell phone store (46%) than use the internet (39%) when considering a cell phone purchase. Among those using the internet to gather information, 76% go to websites of cell phone manufacturers or phone companies. Among those who need to troubleshoot a phone once they’ve bought it, most use the owner’s manual (68%). Just 11% of online users consult the internet to address the problem and 7% look for experiences of others that might be posted online. Nonetheless, cell phone buyers carefully scrutinize their choice even as they rely on traditional sources of expertise. Some 59% of those who use the internet to get information use websites to compare features of cell phones and half read reviews of cell phones on websites or blogs.

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