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| UK Mobile Users Plan Foreign Holidays, Not British Days Out Mobile phone users played it safe in a wet early summer, as rain-shy consumers made fewer searches for places of interest to spend the day out. Compared to the same time last year, m-spatial's Q2 Mobile Local Search Index 2007 highlights a decrease in searches made for history and culture (down 16%), scenic places (down 37%) and sports grounds and stadiums (down 32%). Conversely, searches for travel agents – as people sought hotter climes, increased by 137%. The m-spatial Q2 Mobile Local Search Index 2007 charts local searches made on mobile phones in the second quarter of 2007 – April to June. The Mobile Local Search Index highlights consumer trends, and when compared with results twelve months ago, shows interesting movements in brand popularity over the last year. In the Q2 Mobile Local Search Index 2006, McDonalds was the third most popular search result brand, behind Pizza Hut and Tesco's, yet the backlash against unhealthy eating over the last twelve months has seen the global corporation drop out of the top 10, with 61% less searches for the brand taking place. Commenting on the results, Andy Walker, CEO of m-spatial, said: "The results for Q2 show how unpredictable weather affects what people are looking for, and the poor start to the summer resulted in a substantial increase in people looking for foreign holidays – and a significant drop in people looking to spend days out in the UK. "We're also seeing how the media affects search and subsequent spending behaviour. Healthy eating campaigns may have forced McDonalds to change their menu, yet fewer people are looking for the nearest Big Mac when compared to other fast-food offerings." Another key trend to be highlighted by the index is the amount of searches made for cinemas, with Odeon, Cineworld and Vue all now established in the top 10 search result brands, when 12 months ago not one was listed. Originally, it was thought that this was a seasonal variation, but it now appears to reflect wider consumer trends and the effect of other promotions connected with m-spatial's white label mobile local search partners. Top Ten Local Search Brands April – June 2007 compared to April – June 2006 Ranking 2007 - Brand - Percent - Ranking - 2006 - Brand - 2006 Percent 1. (▲2) Tesco's - 18 - 1. Tesco's - 18 2. (▼1) Odeon - 18 - 2. Pizza Hut - 18 3. (▼1) Cineworld - 15 - 3. McDonald's - 10 4. (▲2) Asda - 9 - 4. Asda - 9 5. (▲2) Vue - 9 - 5. Domino's Pizza - 9 6. (▼2) Pizza Hut - 7 - 6. - Halfords 8 7. (▼2) Domino's Pizza - 7 - 7. Sainsbury's - 8 8. (▲1) Sainsbury's - 6 - 8. Travel Inn - 8 9. (New Entry) B&Q - 6 - 9. KFC - 7 10. (Re-Entry) KFC - 6 - 10. Argos - 7 The top five most searched-for categories remain unchanged, yet the poor British weather has led to more people searching for home-related products, compared to both last year and last quarter. Top Ten Local Search Categories April – June 2007 compared to April – June 2006 Ranking 2007 - Category - Percent - Ranking 2006 - Category 2006 - Percent 1. (-) Cinema - 19 - 1. Fast Food - 21 2. (-) Fast Food - 18 - 2. Drinking - 15 3. (-) Drinking - 15 - 3. Taxi - 12 4. (-) Taxi - 11 - 4. Cinema - 9 5. (-) Supermarkets - 10 - 5. Hotels - 9 6. (▲3) Home - 6 - 6. Cash Machines - 9 7. (▲1) Electrical & Electronics - 6 - 7. Supermarkets - 8 8. (▲2) Clothing & Fashion - 5 - 8. Electrical & Electronics - 6 9. (▼3) Clubbing - 5 - 9. B&Bs - 6 10. (New Entry) Banks - 5 - 10. Clothing & Fashion - 5 The m-spatial Mobile Local Search Index first started in April 2006, and provides quarterly results on what mobile users are searching for. The more esoteric searches to take place between April and June 2007 included searches for livestock markets, Scottish restaurants, and ski-lifts and aerial cableways. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Computing News :: home page |