Even though only 4% of U.S. online adults have ever used a location-based service, like the popular Foursquare, Loopt, Neer, and Yelp for Mobile, new data from Forrester Research shows that the main user group is a highly-sought-after demographic - young, affluent adult males with college degrees. Location-based app users are much younger and more affluent than the average online user:
- Around 86% of those checking in are under the age of 43.
- More than 70% of users have earned a college degree or higher.
- The average annual income of users is $105,000 - at least 30% more than the average Internet user.
In addition to being the main users of location-based apps, young adult males may also be heavy online influencers and mobile researchers. Looking at the profile of location-based app users, Forrester's metrics show that they are:
- Influential. Geolocation users are 38% more likely than the average U.S. online adult to say that friends and family ask their opinions before making a purchase decision.
- An interesting target group. They are typically young adult males with college degrees.
- Heavy mobile researchers. They are far more likely to search for information about businesses and products, as well as read customer ratings/reviews of products and services
If geolocation is part of your marketing mix, it's important to realize that your efforts won't reach a large, diverse audience. But male-targeted companies, like gaming and consumer electronics sellers, can test these platforms now - the size of this market may be smaller, but the ability to communicate with an influential group can give your company a competitive advantage.
Here are some more specifics about how location-based service users compare to to U.S. online adult users:
Are you using geolocation as part of your marketing efforts? Please leave a comment and share your experiences...