Mobile Web Beats Smartphone Apps, Says Nielsen

The U.S.’s top five retailers reached nearly 60% of all smartphone users via app or website in December, new data from Nielsen suggest, based on a sampling of 5,000 users. The latest estimate from comScore suggests that a 60% share of smartphone users represents roughly 60 million buyers. 

But most of that reach came through the mobile web browser, rather than dedicated apps. As shown in the below graphic, 51% of the 5,000 smartphone users sampled by Nielsen accessed a top-five retailer’s mobile website in December, with just 28% using these retailers’ apps. Furthermore, the combined reach percentage — 59% — shows that just 8% of smartphone users connected with retailers through apps alone, whereas the majority of app users also accessed the retailer’s mobile site.

More information is available at Nielsen’s website.