Direct Marketing News: Mobile phone users give permission for location tracking

199IT original article translated from Direct Marketing News Translator: Sun Ying

New research shows that mobile phone users are willing to receive marketing messages.

Surveys, activists and government officials have warned that location-based marketing campaigns are a form of untrustworthy harassment. According to Urban Airship, a mobile marketing provider, marketers can safely reach half of mobile phone consumers through location and proximity-triggered messages.

By analyzing 4 billion push notifications from more than 10,000 apps, Urban Airship found that on average 62% of consumers agree to provide their location information to app providers. The study said that mobile phone users also choose push notifications to receive location-based messages, and more than half of the respondents did so.

"Our data analysis shows that the assumption that consumers are reluctant to share their location is wrong, and mobile users clearly value the location-based features of apps," said Scott Kveton, CEO of Urban Airship.

Urban Airship's analysis shows that between 60% and 80% of consumers accept the choice of personal app location.