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Mountain View, California–A study jointly conducted by Ipsos and Google finds that mobile search garners a 70 percent direct call rate, with people opting to use the “Call” feature on their smartphone. In a study of 3,000 individuals using mobile search, seven verticals were singled out: travel, restaurant, auto, local services, retail, finance, and technology.
The survey revealed that 7 out of 10 people tapped the “Call” button in Google’s mobile SERP. The study likewise found that the click to call feature was at parity in organic and paid search results.
Research also shows the importance of mobile interaction, with 52 percent of participants looking for more information about a product or service and 61 percent ready to purchase.
Mobile Search and Click to Call by the Numbers
Researchers released some of the results, explaining that for auto parts, 62 percent of consumers are “very likely” to use the click to call button, while 57 would tap the button to compare prices. For car rentals, 60 percent of consumers use click to call, 44 percent using the feature to make a reservation. Those numbers increased for local services, with 76 percent of consumers tapping click to call to make an appointment. A full 61 percent used the call button for financial services, making changes to their bank accounts.
Each month, Google ads generate in excess of 40 million calls, with 75 percent of those same calls lasting at least 30 seconds. However, the majority of calls lasted 6 minutes, a strong indication to the search engine that consumers aren’t looking for quick information. “It’s clear from our findings that driving phone calls should still be a priority for businesses in every industry,” explains Adam Grunewald, Google’s mobile marketing manager.
Mobile Traffic Increasing
Another study reveals that mobile traffic has increased by a whopping 125 percent since 2012. However, conversions rates for mobile still lag behind desktop. Consumer conversions for mobile are just one-third that of desktop, but tablets are near parity with desktop.
Additionally, a study conducted by Telmetrics and xAd found 46 percent of consumers use mobile search exclusively to to research products and services.
