Location-Based Services Creep Into the Mainstream

Location-based services continue to see actual use lag behind interest, but the expanding selection of services – and their emergence into the mainstream – may soon change that.

A survey conducted by JupiterResearch confirms that adoption does remain low, with only 3% of cell phone users taking advantage of GPS-based navigation and assorted location-based services. However, the same research indicates that public awareness of a myriad of services is growing.

A few weeks ago, we mentioned a partnership between Sprint and Loopt which will make “social mapping� a reality for any Sprint customer. Meanwhile, there’s a pretty effective Disney Mobile commercial currently running – the best Mom ever! – that calls attention to location-based services designed to help parents keep track of their kids.

What do these two examples have in common? The JupiterResearch study cited above makes it clear that both services – social mapping and child locators – are quickly entering the public consciousness, and that must be due, in part, to successful marketing and implementation. An impressive 42% of parents with children under 13 expressed interest in (and would pay for) the kind of service depicted by the Disney Mobile ad. And 26% of cell phone users between the ages of 18 and 26 like the idea of experiencing mobile social networks, a la Loopt.