Women & Mobile Phones

Women’s mobile phones are their lifeline - they just can’t imagine life without them! And they use their mobile phones for much more than just calling and texting!

An online survey conducted in July 2008 with over 1,500 women (IPC Weeklies consumers), Women & Mobile Phones explores women’s relationships with their mobile phones, what they use them for and how they fit into their lives. Looking at two key audiences, mass market women and young women, key findings from the study are that:

• Women take full advantage of the various features on their mobile phones - especially young women, who use their mobiles much more than average!
• Mass market mums also use lots of the different features on their mobile phones - their kids are keeping them up to date!
• Young women are slightly more likely to have a contract mobile phone, whereas mass market women are slightly more likely to have pay as you go
• The most popular networks are O2 and Orange and the most popular handset is Nokia
• Price is key in the purchase decision - but lots of factors come into play! Media has an important role in the mix
• Magazines are more influential than newspapers in driving the purchase decision - and the internet is increasingly important for both research and purchase

55% of mass market mums record video on their mobile phone and 51% of young women use their mobile phone to access the internet!

Women & Mobile Phones explores the following key areas:

i) Mobile phone usage
• Whether women use their mobile phones for personal and/or business use
• Frequency of making voice calls and sending text messages
• Frequency of using other features on their mobile phones
• Contract vs pay as you go average spends

ii) Network service providers
• Awareness of network service providers and their advertising
• Networks used and brands/models of mobile phone owned
• Length of time with network provider
• Whether women have changed providers and whether they expect to in the next 12 months

iii) Purchase influences
• Contract vs pay as you go - what influences women’s choice of mobile phone deal
• The role of media/advertising
• The role of the internet - for research and purchase

iv) Mobile broadband
• Whether women have heard of mobile broadband and if so, how they define it
• Mobile broadband users - what they have (contract v PAYG / network) and how they rate it
• Likelihood of using mobile broadband in the future

For more information please contact:

Andrew Marrs, Head of Insight - Weeklies 0203 148 3645 andrew_marrs@ipcmedia.com

Marianne Rogers, Insight Manager - Weeklies 0203 148 3634 marianne_rogers@ipcmedia.com