Author: Dan Gendro

An explosion of searches has revealed that people are using their devices to plan their supermarket trips.

According to search volume data that was collected during the second quarter of this year, consumers are looking to mobile technology on a rapidly increasing basis as they prepare their grocery shopping lists.

Among the searches that were performed over smartphones and tablets, recipes topped the ten leading grocery terms.

The largest sub-category search terms over mobile technology, according to the BRC-Google Online Retail Monitor were organic and natural foods. When all devices were taken into account, the searches conducted for grocery items rose by 22 percent when compared to the same quarter in 2013. The volume of searches conducted over smartphones greatly outpaced those of tablets. The data showed that there was a rate of growth of 94 percent over smartphones and 28 percent over tablets.

There was a tremendous spike in the number of searches conducted over mobile technology for organic and natural foods.

The growth rate in this category over smartphones was a tremendous 133 percent within that quarter. Among tablet users, the increase was recorded at 21 percent. Overall, when all devices were taken into account, there was a respectable growth of 23 percent.

It was the barbecue and grill category that brought about the largest search volume growth across all of the various devices, at 40 percent. Thirty seven percent more searches were conducted within the special and restricted diet foods category. Latin American cuisine saw a growth rate of 35 percent, while meat and poultry searches were up 34 percent and beer rose by 32 percent.

When it came to specific locations that used mobile technology the most for grocery related searches, it was London that scored the highest. Peter Fitzgerald, the retail director at Google, said that “the developments grocers have made in the region, for example the increase in delivery options becoming available.” The director general of BRC, Helen Dickinson went on to express that “In a change that will give particular cheer to grocery retailers, customers are increasingly turning to their tablet computers and smartphones for culinary guidance.”

The travel site giant has now made a considerable acquisition to build on its smartphone and tablet based offerings.

The online booking platform and travel site, TripAdvisor, has recently made a considerable move in mobile commerce in addition to the acquisition of a top research resource, Viator, which helps in booking activities at a destination.

This service will considerably expand the company’s online and mobile booking capabilities.

By the time that the acquisition was announced, Viator already offered over 20,000 possible tours and attractions that could be booked, for which customers had left over 600,000 reviews, videos and photos from their own experiences. Stephen Kaufer, the TripAdvisor CEO, spoke of the acquisition and the impact that it would have on the company’s online and mobile commerce, saying that “Viator will be a great addition to the TripAdvisor family, as online and mobile bookings for attractions and activities represents a huge opportunity for our business.”

It will give the mobile commerce service’s users the chance to book local attractions and things to do, to enhance their trip planning.

Kaufer went on to explain that travelers don’t just want to be able to book their travel and accommodations, but they also want to make sure that they will be prepared to be able to head to some of the various attractions that are local to the destinations to which they would be traveling. By adding the Viator opportunity to book any of a massive number of attractions around the world and by combining it with the TripAdvisor service for a more seamless experience, he stated that this would “provide immediate benefit to our community, whether in the planning phase or on the trip.”

The acquisition of Viator by TripAdvisor was made for approximately $200 million, according to the initial announcements of the purchase. Despite the fact that the company has been bought out for the expansion of the online and mobile commerce experience by the purchaser, the over 250 employees of Viator will continue to work at the various places in which the company is located. This includes its headquarters in San Francisco, as well as its offices in Las Vegas, Sydney, and London.