Making it easy for people to search for restaurants on mobile phones could be one of the fastest ways of attracting new customers, according to a new study on mobile search habits.
It's widely reported that by around 2014 the amount of search data consumed on mobile devices will surpass the amount of search taking place on desktop machines.
With 4G Mobile Networks now offering speeds comparable with home broadband, it's obvious to see how the amount of data consumed on-the-go will continue to rise.
But what are people using smart phones to search for? and how can this affect the restaurant industry? A new study by the market analysts Nielsen has shown that around 95 percent of smartphone users use their mobile devices to search for restaurants.
The study looked at the behavior on 6,000 Android and Apple devices and surveyed around 1,500 people. The most interesting figure for restaurants is that of the 95% of people who searched for restaurants on mobile devices 90 % would actually visit a restaurant within a day, even more striking is the fact 64 % of the 95 % would visit a restaurant 'immediately' or within one hour.
The study also found that although many users choose the mobile version of websites when surfing they much prefer to use apps. 70% of all the time spent engaging with restaurant content was done through a mobile app.
It shows the importance of having a presence online with mobile apps, mobile friendly websites and making sure restaurants are listed on popular apps such as Yelp. 3 out of 5 of those who took part in the study actually said they had no pre conceived idea of where to dine when they begin searching on mobile devices with Location, Price and Good Reviews all contributing to their final decision.
It's an interesting study that also goes into lots of detail about how tablets and mobiles are used very differently when it comes to searching online.