A 2014 survey of 350 college students from Stanford, Harvard, Duke, and Ohio State explored millennials' mobile commerce habits, revealing that 67% buy paid apps or in-app purchases. The survey also highlighted common shopping and payment preferences, with 91% of respondents using credit/debit cards or gift cards. Key reasons for mobile shopping abandonment included slow site loading and complicated checkout processes.

1. Millennials and
Mobile Commerce
@GGVCapital

2. 2

3. What millennials are buying on mobile
Source: GGV Survey of college students from Stanford, Harvard, Duke
and Ohio State (n=350). Surveys were conducted in March 2014.
3
67%
63%
49%
48%
48%
44%
30%
26%
15%
9%
7%
Paid apps or in-app purchases (excluding games)
Music/video content or premium subscriptions
Games or in-game purchases
Restaurant delivery
Clothing or accessories
Event tickets
Travel - hotels, flights, tours or other travel…
Technology hardware and consumer products
Household necessities
Home décor, furniture, or appliances
Groceries
What types of items have you bought or paid for on your phone?
(check all that apply)

4. Where are they shopping
4
Source: GGV Survey of college students from Stanford, Harvard, Duke
and Ohio State (n=350). Surveys were conducted in March 2014.
68%
39%
28%
26%
19%
17%
15%
15%
8%
Retailer apps (eg. Walmart, Target)
Individual brand apps (eg. Gap, Nike)
Event booking / ticketing apps
Social commerce apps (eg. Pinterest, Polyvore)
Coupon apps
Daily deals apps
Barcode / QR code scanning apps
Price comparison apps
Location-based rewards
What types of shopping apps do you use?
(check all that apply)

5. Mobile use in offline shopping
5
Source: GGV Survey of college students from Stanford, Harvard, Duke
and Ohio State (n=350). Surveys were conducted in March 2014.
56%
56%
52%
50%
42%
23%
16%
15%
Send photos to friends or family for advice
Call friends or family for advice
Compare prices online
Look for product reviews online
Search for discounts or offers
Pay using a device-linked gift card or mobile wallet
Collect loyalty or location-based rewards
Scan barcodes or QR codes for info
How do you use your mobile device while in physical stores or restaurants?
(check all that apply)

6. How often they buy on mobile
6
Source: GGV Survey of college students from Stanford, Harvard, Duke
and Ohio State (n=350). Surveys were conducted in March 2014.
18%
10%
11%
24%
23%
9%
5%
Never and don't plan to
Never but plan to
Once a year
Once a month
A few times a month
Once a week
Everyday
How often do you buy something on your mobile device?

7. How often they buy on mobile
7
Source: GGV Survey of college students from Stanford, Harvard, Duke
and Ohio State (n=350). Surveys were conducted in March 2014.
61%
26%
5%
4%
2%
1%
0%
1%
Never and don't plan to
Never but plan to
Once or twice a year
A few times a year
Once a month
A few times a month
Once a week
A few times a week
How often do you sell something on your mobile device?

8. How much they spend
8
Source: GGV Survey of college students from Stanford, Harvard, Duke
and Ohio State (n=350). Surveys were conducted in March 2014.
2%
4%
26%
24%
28%
16%
1%
Over $1K
Between $500 and $1K
Between $100 and $500
Between $50 and $100
Between $10 and $50
Between $1 and $10
Less than $1
What is the most you have ever spent on a mobile purchase?

9. How they pay
9
Source: GGV Survey of college students from Stanford, Harvard, Duke
and Ohio State (n=350). Surveys were conducted in March 2014.
91%
30%
30%
3%
3%
Enter credit / debit card information
Use a prepaid account or giftcard
Enter app store credentials
Pay with an alternative currency
Charge it to your mobile carrier bill
How do you pay for items you purchase using a mobile device?
(check all that apply)

10. Reasons for mobile shopping abandonment
10
Source: GGV Survey of college students from Stanford, Harvard, Duke
and Ohio State (n=350). Surveys were conducted in March 2014.
65%
57%
52%
50%
44%
40%
4%
Site loaded too slowly
Checkout process was too difficult
Wanted to do more research offline or on desktop
Site was not mobile optimized
Got distracted by something else
Did not trust merchant with payment info
Have never abandoned a mobile purchase
When you abandon a purchase on your mobile device, what are the reasons?
(check all that apply)

11. In March 2014, GGV Capital conducted a survey of
undergraduates at Stanford, Harvard, Duke and
Ohio State.
We received 350 responses, of which 227 were
mobile shoppers.
Special thanks to researchers Andy Bromberg,
Jacob Cooper, Kai Jiang and Karine Hsu.
Survey

12. Special thanks to researchers
Andy Bromberg, Jacob Cooper,
Kai Jiang and Karine Hsu
Thank you