People ‘not impressed by mobile internet ads’

Many consumers believe that mobile advertising is irrelevant to everyone, according to research.

Logica’s UK consumer awareness research into mobile internet market revealed that while 40 per cent of consumers said they use internet on their mobile devices heavily, 42 per cent claimed mobile advertising is not relevant to anyone.

The failure of the operator to target consumers with the right advertising has put off 50 per cent of people from using the internet on their phone, the study showed.

Meanwhile, 77 per cent of respondents said they would consider switching operator if they did not feel their service provider was meeting their requirements.

Elaine Doherty, principal business consultant at Logica, said: “The mobile internet market stands at the tipping point of consumer usage, but it lacks the maturity and unity necessary to capitalise on the available revenue opportunity.”

Gartner recently revealed that worldwide sales of smartphones to end users reached 38.1 million units in the fourth quarter of 2008.