Nearly six in ten cell phone owners used their phone inside a physical store for assistance or guidance on a purchasing decision this holiday season, according to a new survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.



The survey, which was conducted Jan. 3-6, 2013 by Princeton Survey Research Associates, found that in the preceding 30 days:


  • 46% of cell owners used their phone while inside a store to call a friend or family member for advice about a purchase they were considering.
  • 28% of cell owners used their phone while inside a store to look up reviews of a product to help decide if they should purchase it or not.
  • 27% of cell owners used their phone while inside a store to look up the price of a product, to see if they could get a better price elsewhere.


Taken together, 58% of cell owners used their phone for at least one of these reasons, with young adults and smartphone owners leading the way – 78% of cell owners ages 18-29 and 72% of smartphone owners did at least one of these with their phones this holiday season. The 46% of cell owners who called someone for advice about a purchase represents a significant increase from the 38% of cell owners who did so during last years holiday shopping season.