Study Highlights Content Discovery Issues

Xiam Technologies, a Qualcomm subsidiary providing discovery and recommendation solutions to mobile operators, has released the results from a study of mobile content users in the UK and the US that shows widespread consumer frustrations with their current mobile content discovery methods.

Some key findings from the research, which surveyed active mobile content users from an original sample of 2,666, included:

• 80% of consumers surveyed reported experiencing a problem obtaining content on their mobile handsets
• 63% indicated that they would spend more time accessing or purchasing content if it was personalized and easier to find
• Time spent searching and downloading content was the most frequently mentioned problem
• Users estimated that they would increase the amount of time per week accessing mobile content by over one hour if that content was easier to find
• Likewise, users estimated that they would spend, on average, £4.80 more on mobile content if that content was easier to find and personalized
• Users who primarily accessed content via their operator’s services indicted they would be more likely to increase both time and money spent as a result of personalized recommendations

The study showed a consistent picture across both the US and the UK, says Xiam, with users broadly reporting the same frustrations and attitudes. While the company is presumably not too distressed about the findings, Colm Healy, Vice President of Qualcomm’s EMEA Services and General Manager of Xiam Technologies, says:

“One of the key messages from this research is that the industry has to evolve beyond simple search and move toward personal discovery, making the user’s experience more intuitive. These results point to a huge opportunity for operators to increase mobile data usage and sales by providing personalized mobile apps and content experiences.”