US mobile map audience grows 39%

The study found that 48 million mobile users accessed maps on their mobile device during the three month average period ending May 2011, an increase of 39% from the previous year, driven in large part by the increase in smartphone adoption. The study found that map usage via mobile applications was the primary access point for smartphone owners as the map app audience doubled in size over the past year.

More Americans turning to mobile to find their way

More than 48 million mobile users accessed maps on their device in May, marking an increase of 39% from the previous year. A comparative look at map usage among fixed-Internet users (i.e. accessing from a home or work computer) found that map visitation saw a slight decline in total audience in May 2011 versus the previous year, dipping 2%, while still maintaining a substantially larger audience of 93.8 million visitors.

"The strong growth in mobile map usage and flattening of desktop map usage is indicative of broader behavioural shifts being wrought by smartphones," said Mark Donovan, comScore senior vice president of mobile. "For years, consumers have been able to check directions on their desktop computers prior to leaving their home or office, now smartphones allow people to skip this step and access maps on the go, as they need them, showing off one of the most powerful capabilities of mobile - just-in-time-information."

*Source: comScore Media Metrix, May 2011 vs. May 2010, Total US Audience Home/Work Locations
**Source: comScore MobiLens, 3 month average ending May 2011 vs. May 2010, Total US Mobile Audience Age 13+

Map app audience doubles

The number of smartphone map users (which accounted for 4 out of every 5 mobile map users) reached 38.2 million in May, an increase of 75% from the previous year and outpacing the total smartphone audience growth of 57%. Applications represented the primary access point for approximately two-thirds of smartphone map users (up 98%), while browser map access was about half as popular as apps and grew at half the rate.

Americans most likely to access mobile maps from vehicles

Among all mobile users (smartphone and feature phone) who accessed maps on their mobile devices, 88.9% did so from a car or other vehicle, with 16.9% doing so while walking, running or biking, and 13.6% while using public transit. The most utilised types of maps were graphical maps with turn-by-turn directions (64.0% of mobile maps users), followed by 48.3% using a graphical map without turn-by-turn directions and 46.0% using turn-by-turn directions without a graphical map.

*Percentages will not sum to 100% as respondents may select more than one mode of transport or type of map accessed.