Shoppers Using Phones to Make Buying Decisions, Survey Says

Mobile phones are increasingly changing the way people shop, according to ForeSee Results, which conducted a study of nearly 10,000 visitors to the biggest e-commerce sites in the U.S. It found that during this holiday season, a total of 11 percent of Web shoppers reported having made a purchase from their phones, compared to only 2 percent a year ago. Users are also tapping into their phones to comparison shop. For instance, 56 percent used them to check prices, and 27 percent used them to read product reviews. While in physical stores, more than two-thirds of mobile shoppers used their phones to visit the store’s own Web site, and nearly half visited a competitor’s site.