The FINANCIAL -- Nearly six in ten cell owners used their phone inside a physical store for assistance or guidance on a purchasing decision this holiday season.

As the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project said, in the 30 days preceding our early January 2013 survey (the final weeks of the holiday gift-giving season):

46% of cell owners used their phone while inside a store to call a friend or family member for advice about a purchase they were considering.
   

28% of cell owners used their phone while inside a store to look up reviews of a product to help decide if they should purchase it or not.
   

27% of cell owners used their phone while inside a store to look up the price of a product, to see if they could get a better price elsewhere.

Taken together, 58% of cell owners used their phone for at least one of these reasons, with young adults and smartphone owners leading the way — 78% of cell owners ages 18-29 and 72% of smartphone owners did at least one of these with their phones this holiday season. The 46% of cell owners who called someone for advice about a purchase represents a significant increase from the 38% of cell owners who did so during last year’s holiday shopping season.

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