Reality check on mobile search

Despite recent data suggesting mobile search is taking off, the current reality is less-than-thrilling, says AdAge. Citing Forrester Research, the article points out that 80 percent of marketers say they either use or plan to employ Internet-based search marketing, yet less than one-third of retail marketers and one-half of consumer goods marketers expect to use mobile search as part of that plan. The reason? Traffic. Only about 5 percent of the nation's 190 million mobile phone subscribers have ever used mobile search, according to M:Metrics. The reason: (wait for it….) bad user experience.

It's a good article, but a bit too much reliance on self-serving quotes from folks like Venable and UpSnap, whose voice-based interfaces compete with the traditional mobile search field.

To learn more about the state of mobile search and advertising:
- read the full AdAge article