Social layer and mobile phone: the growing important of using mobile phones to call a friend to get advice on making a purchase decision while shopping in a brick-and-mortar store

In its collaboration with Facebook, Bing has been pulling data from friends and family members to help its shoppers to make a better purchase decision since October 2010, while Google is trying to copycat Bing’s effort with a project called “Search Plus Your World” that was launched in early January 2012.  As the “Doing Engine” has been working hard to add social layer into the search results by combining advices from friends, the latest findings from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project could prove that Bing is on the right track.

Under the management of the Pew Research Center, the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project just published some findings on the important of a phone call to a friend when making purchasing decisions.  According to the study, 38% of cellphone subscribers used their phone to call a friend while shopping in a brick-and-mortar store seeking their friend’s advices about a purchase decision.  The report also shows about 24% to 25% of cellphone subscribers used their phone to check out reviews and comparing the price of a product online while they were in a brick-and-mortar store.

(Chart:  The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project)