A new report by digital location marketers Uberall based on a July 2018 survey of 1000+ US smartphone users found:
- 69% use their smartphones for shopping.
- 82% of those - so 57% of total - have done a "near me" search.
- Millennials are the heaviest users of "near me" searches.
- 93% of those who have done "near me" searches said they are "very likely" (60%) or "likely" (33%) to click on one of the top 3 search returns.
Things most frequently shopped for via "near me: searches were:
- Food 84%
- Entertainment 56%
- Banking 50%
- Apparel 41%
- Personal care 38%
Most popular search terms used in "near me" searches were:
- Specific retailer 48%
- Generic product 29%
- Brand of product 23%
=========================================
So, actionable items for tourism-related businesses that want to make sales to visitors doing in-destination smartphone searches:
If you run a restaurant, convenience store, entertainment venue or personal-care service:
- Be visible in local search.
- Do sufficient SEO to get ranked in top-3 positions on your most profitable offerings.
- Make sure all your digital marketing and advertising is mobile-friendly.
- Do whatever it takes to keep Google happy - use call extensions in your ads, have a complete Google My Business profile, make sure your location on Google Maps is correct and add photos, get good reviews.
Comments on 57% of US smartphone owners have done "near me" searches when shopping, food is #1 category