In countries like South Korea, China, Thailand and India, mobile search has become a formidable force for SEM. Iprospect conducted a study/survey regarding search methods and attitudes of major Asian countries. 11 markets were chosen for the study from China to New Zealand. According to the study, a whopping 80 per cent use their mobile phones to make searches with China at the lead with 93 per cent of the results being a massive mobile force. The conversion to smart phones has helped in elevating the mobile search and by 2011; the numbers are expected to increase.

India is second to China with 90% of the users subscribed to mobile search. According to the CEO of iProspect in Asia Pacific, Peter Hunter, 2 key factors are driving the popularity for mobile search. First, as said earlier is the proliferation of smart phones and second is the accessibility to cheaper ones. That is why he is telling marketers to consider the local searches and how to integrate systems like directions, maps, exact locations, store hours and alternate routes.

The fact is that more than 50% of people do searches first before making any purchase. A massive population shop online and search for information about computers and gadgets. Second is entertainment. Third would be food and beverages. Lastly, there is banking and finance. The ease of computer and mobile phone searches has enabled people to search online and purchase either online or offline. Nonetheless, the searches online are still the driving force for many products that people buy no matter how they buy them.

Talking about search results, half of the results are from Google and others are shared by regional search engines and global ones like Yahoo. It is necessary for marketers to understand the results and findings in order to make better use of systems for better results.