Mobile Users Eager to Offer Their Location in Exchange for Better Content & Deals

According to a new report from location-based media company JiWire, 53% of the “on-the-go” U.S. audience is willing to exchange their location in exchange for more relevant content and better information, including mobile deals.

In the group of mobile consumers under the age of 34, the percentage is even greater: 60% are willing to trade their location for information. And in the U.K., it’s higher still, with 69% open to sharing their location.

JiWire has been tracking trends like this among a segment of the population it calls the “on-the-go” audience, which consists of those using notebooks, tablets and smartphones outside of the home or workplace. So to be clear, these are not universal trends that apply to all consumers – they only apply to the highly mobile user. In the mobile deals market, however, it’s a target audience whose habits are worth tracking.

Location in Exchange for Deals

The desire to exchange one’s location in return for data, including location-based sales alerts and coupons, is greater than ever, JiWire found.

This holiday season, 52% said they expect to use their mobile device “more” than they did last year, for example. And 80% says they plan to use their device more or the same as last year, up from 59% in 2010.

When consumers were asked what they thought the most important information about a brand was, when near a retail store or product’s location, they responded by saying “Sales and Promotions.” This ranked higher than customer reviews, directions, product info and availability and even coupons.

When it comes to proximity-based marketing, however, there were some differences in opinion. 29% said they want to receive sales and promotions within one mile of a store, while 24% want promotions within 10 miles of a store.

Email Still Best for Deals

In terms of deals distribution, though, 38% still prefer email, while 22% prefer the web and only 19% said they want to get deals via “mobile apps.” Only a small 2% preferred receiving deals through SMS.

Although email is still the top pick for deal distribution for now, it’s declining, having gone down from 52% in Q1 2011 to 38% this past quarter.

Deal sharing has increased during that same time, up from 62% in Q1 to 75% in Q2. Deals are shared over email, by word-of-mouth and using social media tools.

92% of consumers purchase at least one local deal per month, with 78% spending $50 or less per purchase.

More data from this report is available on JiWire’s website now.