Impulse Purchases Key for Mobile Marketing Messages

A significant number of American consumers are interested in receiving opt-in marketing messages, according to a new survey by Harris Interactive. It also appears impulse purchases are prime candidates for mobile marketing messages.

The survey of 2,029 mobile phone users, ages 18 and older shows 42 percent of users between the ages of 18 and 34 and 33 percent of those between 35 to 44 are at least somewhat interested in receiving alerts about sales on their cell phones from their favorite establishments.

Men are more interested than women. About 51 percent of men ages 18 to 34, and 34 percent of women of the same age range are at least somewhat interested in receiving opt-in shopping alerts on their cell phones.

Only one percent of cell phone owners currently receive alerts about sales at their favorite establishments on their phones, yet 26 percent would be at least somewhat interested in receiving such alerts, assuming they were permission-based.

Of those interested in receiving alerts, 53 percent would be at least somewhat interested in being notified about restaurant specials around them.

About 43 percent say they would be interested in getting information about movie or event tickets. About 39 percent are interested in getting weather information, while 37 percent indicated interest in information about clearance sales.

Sizable percentages expressed interest in specific products such as pizza, clothes, fast food, electronics, music, happy hour specials or bar and night club offers.

Impulse purchases seem particularly germane. The survey found that about 90 percent of U.S. adults have made an impulse purchase when they were out shopping in a store, based on a sale or special offer going on around where they were.

Nearly a quarter of adults owning cell phones (22 percent) make this type of impulse purchase at least once per week or more often.