According to digital measurement specialist comScore, 16.7 million people leveraged this type of platform in March 2011. Furthermore, the research found that 12.7 million shoppers recorded their current whereabouts through a smartphone.
"Although still in their relative infancy, location-based mobile check-in services are seeing rather impressive adoption among smartphone users," Mark Donovan, comScore's senior vice-president, commented.
"The ability to interact with consumers on this micro-local level through special offers, deals and other incentives provides brands with the real-time opportunity to engage consumers through their mobile device."
Meanwhile, research conducted by Ericson ConsumerLab has found that 35 per cent of smartphone owners load applications on their device before getting out of bed in the morning.
Some 18 per cent of smartphone users engage with social networking applications like Facebook before their feet leave the mattress, Ericson ConsumerLab said.
Posted by Simon Jones
