How are connected devices influencing purchase decisions?

It was great to see so many consumer brands and journalists at yesterday's InMobi and Mobext event in London.  The morning unveiled exclusive insights gathered across 7 different markets, that examined the media consumption habits of over 8,400 respondents.  The survey was delivered across mobile and tablet devices through InMobi's network.  Hosted by InMobi and Mobext the event gave delegates a snapshot of the research which clearly discussed how tablet owners are "retail gold dust" and how tablets are a "step on the road to a much more meaningful brand experience".  The audience of brands were taking notes on their mobile devices and getting vocal on twitter, search #tablet12.

There was a great line-up of speakers including InMobi's Director of Sales, EME, John Stoneman who presented the research findings along with Denise Truner, Head of Intelligence at MPG Media contacts.  Guest speakers also included David Graham, Havas Media Head of Digital who explained the relevance of the research in context to a brand's digital communication strategy.  Zeebox founder Ernesto Schmitt showcased how dual screening offers a disruptive channel to market.  A strong theme that came out of all of the presentations was how consumers see their relationship with their mobile devices as a love story, it is the firs thing they reach for in the morning and the last thing they touch at night.

Highlights from the research included:

• 69% of tablet users have shopped via their device in the last 30 days
• 7 out of 10 users regularly use their tablet and watch TV at the same time
• 63% of tablet users in the UK agreed that it is easier to access media content on a tablet than on a mobile or laptop
• 42% said that their tablet device has revolutionised the way they communicate with friends/colleagues

Entertaining delegates in the break was the chance to feel Senseg's feel-able touchscreen; there was a crowd of delegates all reaching out to have a play and a feel of the screen.  You could feel grass, tiles and what looked like a pebble surface… Very cool.

It really was a fantastic morning and there has been a huge amount of buzz in the press around the event and research, the NMA have published their take on the research and eConsultancy have written an excellent summary of the event and insights .  We're looking forward to continuing our work in the area and have some country specific deeper dives planned for release very soon.

Until then, we have created a whitepaper that details the exclusive findings and has more detail on how we conducted the research and an infographic that captures the key results.