Women using phones and tablets to search for information more than men

Women are using search engines to look for information and items on phones and tablets more than men, according to a new study.

Six in 10 searches using Bing on mobile devices are made by women, the Bing Ads UK Mobile Insights Report revealed, with the total number of questions asked on smartphones growing by more than 20 per cent year-on-year.

Half of searches on a weekend are now made from a smartphone or tablet, such as Microsoft’s Surface, with retail (54%), travel (48%) and finance (36%) the top three topics people want to know about.

Quick queries related to health and restaurants dominate smartphone searches, after social media networks, whereas more detailed searches around retail and travel lead the tablet share.

“The role that mobile devices play in consumers’ everyday decision making process is unequivocal. It’s a platform that continues to grow,” said Mascha Driessen, western Europe ad sales director at Bing Ads.

“Our latest insights into mobile search behaviour demonstrate the evolution in consumers’ use of mobile devices.”

The study, released to mark Advertising Week Europe in London, found that late afternoons and evenings were found to be the most popular time for smartphone users, with 8.30pm on weekdays and 9pm on weekends emerging as key times.

Under 35s account for more than half of smartphone queries (55%), while over-50s continue to dominate searches on tablets (40%).

‘Hot hours’ for when we’re picking up our mobile devices:

	Mobile devices	PCs
Weekdays	4pm – 10pm	10am – 4pm
Weekends	3pm – 10pm	1pm – 7pm