NEW YORK-Demand for paid wireless information services remains low, according to new research from JupiterResearch.
The company said only one-fifth of consumers are willing to pay for 411 information, and only 7 percent are willing to pay for local search on their cell phones. For that reason, JupiterResearch said local information providers likely will need to look to advertisers to monetize their local search offerings.
The report, “Mobile Search: Searching for an Audience,” said although 81 percent of online users do online searches, few mobile subscribers have used their phones for search. And while major search engines like Google Inc. and Yahoo! Inc. have developed mobile search offerings, they have yet to monetize that experience, said the report.
“The JupiterResearch study finds that local ad-based and search revenues from mobile subscribers will remain elusive over the next few years due to limited inventory-not unlike the online medium-combined with limited consumer adoption of the mobile technologies (e.g., SMS, WAP),” said Julie Ask, research director at JupiterResearch “As such, content and information providers must be patient, invest pragmatically and continue to offer free trials while educating consumers and marketers alike about these services.”
