The British love affair with fast food and shopping has made it onto the mobile, according to figures released by m-spatial in its inaugural Mobile Local Search Index. Brands topping the 'mobile local search' chart between April and June 2006 include Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's, with fast food giants Pizza Hut, beating McDonald's and Domino's Pizza in the battle of the mobile bulge. Italian restaurants have also knocked Indian off the top spot for UK searchers.
Commenting on the Index, Andy Walker, CEO of m-spatial, said: "The Mobile Local Search Index is expressly designed to highlight the types of local businesses and amenities consumers are searching for and finding on the mobile Internet. It has been created to underline the increasing importance of mobile local search and the revenue opportunities available to operators, brands and content providers by developing a local presence on the mobile."
Top Ten Local Search Brands April - June 2006
Top Ten Local Search Categories April - June 2006
The category search data also highlights Italian restaurants as top of the 'world food' rankings, with the UK's generally acknowledged favourite, Indian, being beaten into second place, ahead of British and Chinese respectively.
"The category figures will perhaps come as little surprise, with on-the-move mobile users searching primarily for fast food, pubs and taxis. However, the top ten local search brands results are more significant, highlighting the value that mobile local search can present to these high street giants, " said Andy Walker. "By requesting information while in the vicinity of the store or restaurant, the consumer is much closer to a buying decision than if they were simply searching online. This knowledge is of incredible value to the brand, and offers merchants an ideal opportunity to target their consumers through contextual advertising - based on location and demands of the user, and even using factors such as time of day."
Mobile Local Search Index rankings are based on usage of local search services built on m-spatial's Local Search & Discovery Engine (LSDE). This is a platform which enables m-spatial's partners to provide highly personalised, intuitive and detailed mobile local search services - connecting local merchants with consumers at the precise moment of need.
The m-spatial Mobile Local Search Index will be published quarterly from July 2006."
Posted to the site on 10th July 2006
Posted to: www.cellular-news.com/story/18179.php