Two thirds of the owners of Smartphones or Tablets have used their devices to make purchases and more than 80% have used them to help in the purchase decision of another person, according to a new study by LEK.

The report also shows that 39% make purchases with their devices at least once a month (excluding music and video downloads) and 60% use them at least once a month to search for information about a product before performing the purchase. LEK divides these groups into ‘active mobile consumers’ and ‘mobile window buyers’.

The report also identified four habits and trends that companies should monitor:

Comparison of Prices and Offers

During the last six months, more than half of mobile consumers surveyed reported using at least one mobile coupon application (for example, Coupon Clipper), almost a third use a price comparison tool such as RedLaser, and 29% take advantage of a loyalty tool like Shopkick, and they all used it in the same stores. In other words, consumers have all the price information available to them anywhere.

Continuous relationships with customers and consumers

More than half of the ‘mobile consumers’ are willing to share their location with the brands in real time when they are given that opportunity through the check-in, as in Foursquare or similar applications based on geolocation. In addition, 37% of active mobile consumers are willing to keep track of brands all the time, in exchange for receiving special offers.

The influence of social media and networks

Active consumers and users of this type of media are much less influential than those of traditional media. However, independent reviews and recommendations from friends and family members found on social media are taken into account before making a purchase through mobile.

Efficiency and Speed

The immediacy of ‘mobile shopping’ creates new opportunities for consumers who can keep up with the latest offers and promotions of the ‘fast sales’ of sites like Gilt Groupe. More than 40% of active mobile consumers use these sites.