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InMobi claims that their research revealed that 65 percent of shoppers are influenced by their mobile phones/COURTESY

Kenya

Kenyan shoppers influenced by mobile ads – survey

InMobi claims that their research revealed that 65 percent of shoppers are influenced by their mobile phones/COURTESY

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 12 – Kenyans’ shopping habits are increasingly becoming more influenced by their mobile phones, according to a new survey.

Global mobile ad network, InMobi claims that their research revealed that 65 percent of shoppers are influenced by their mobile phones when making a decision to buy groceries at a supermarket.

The firm’s Marketing Manager Daryn Smith said such a trend presents an opportunity for local businesses looking to build their brands on a new platform apart from the traditional television and newspaper advertisements.

“My recommendation to retailers locally is to offer mobile coupons. There is still a place for TV but what retailers need to do is augment their TV campaign with a mobile campaign. A retailer could lure a shopper, even if the shopper is in a competitor’s store just by using a mobile ad,” he said.

With at least 44 percent of respondents looking for price comparisons, Smith adds that there is obvious demand for such an app or website in the market.

In specialty or boutique stores consumers use mobile 34 percent of the time to add to their shopping experience, but the majority (31 percent) enhance their shopping experience with a mobile phone when in malls or department stores

Meanwhile, 29 percent of consumers are using their mobile phones while shopping at street traders, whether to compare product prices to major retailers, or checking availability in those retailers, or looking for ingredients in products.

The survey that queried 503 respondents from Greater Nairobi, Eldoret, Kisumu, Mombasa, Nakuru and Nyeri, also found that 69 percent conducted mobile searches for electronics or appliances, 46 percent pre-searching for restaurants and bars and 67 percent searching for luxury goods.

InMobi hopes the choice by consumers to use their mobile devices for the convenience needed to compare prices, search trends and identify with their brands of choice will get local retailers more privy to mobile retail advertising.

While television (47 percent) and newspaper ads (42 percent) still drive most feet to retailers, social media (42 percent) is playing a major part, and most social media interactions are now conducted on a mobile phone.

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“Consumers are looking for the full brand experience, and the convergence between mobile and social to create a retail pull is a proven and cost effective way to translate consumer behaviour online into purchase decisions,” Moses Kemibaro, Sales Director for InMobi Africa said.

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