The Evolution of Information Services, How U.S. Consumers Find Phone Numbers: A Consumer Research Report

Executive Summary

A Telephone Number Lookup

• Where to Look? So Many Choices
• Finding Business Numbers
• Finding People

Traditional Directory Assistance / Enquiry

• Summary: Who Uses Directory Assistance First for a Telephone Number Lookup?

Advertiser-Sponsored Directory Assistance / Enquiry

• Summary: Who Uses Free Directory Assistance Services First for a Telephone Number Lookup?

Print Yellow Pages

• Summary: Who Uses Yellow Pages First for a Telephone Number Lookup?

Print White Pages

• Summary: Who Uses White Pages First for a Telephone Number Lookup?

Internet Directories

• Summary: Who Uses Internet Directories First for a Telephone Number Lookup?

Search Engines

• Summary: Who Uses Search Engines First for a Telephone Number Lookup?

Social Networking Sites

• Summary: Who Uses Social Networking Sites First for a Telephone Number Lookup?

Asking Friends

• Summary: Who Asks Friends First for a Telephone Number Lookup?

Summary and Recommendations

• Summary
• Recommendations

The Questionnaire

Related Research

About the Author

• Figure 1: Total Telephone Number Lookups
• Figure 2: Total Telephone Number Lookups by Broad Grouping
• Figure 3: Five Year Growth in Telephone Number Lookups by Media Type
• Figure 4: Where Consumers Turn First for a Phone Number Lookup-Across Situations
• Figure 5: First Source for Number Lookups by Age Group
• Figure 6: Consumers Use Wide Range of Sources to Find Business Telephone Numbers
• Figure 7: Business Number Lookups in All Situations, by Age Group
• Figure 8: Business Telephone Number Lookups Aggregated by Technology
• Figure 9: How Consumers Find Numbers for Individuals
• Figure 1O: How Consumers Find Numbers for Individuals by Age Group
• Figure 11: Home Telephone Number Lookups Aggregated by Technology
• Figure 12: Consumers Call 411 Services for Business Numbers
• Figure 13: Consumers Call 411 Services for Residential Numbers
• Figure 14: Consumers Report Calling DA/DQ Services Approximately Once a Month
• Figure 15: Usage of 411 Services Skews Younger
• Figure 16: The Heaviest Users of 411 Services Are 18 to 24 Years Old
• Figure 17: Younger Consumers Far More Likely to be “Mobile Only”
• Figure 18: Consumers Call 411 More Often if Mobile Used for Personal and Business Use
• Figure 19: The Heaviest 411 Callers Use Mobile for Business and Personal Calls
• Figure 20: 411 Callers Use More Mobile Phone Features
• Figure 21: 411 Callers Have More Numbers Stored in Mobile Handset
• Figure 22: The Very Heaviest 411 Users Have Far More Numbers Stored in Mobile Handset
• Figure 23: 411 Callers Make Most Use of Internet for Number Lookups
• Figure 24: The Very Heaviest Users of 411 also the Very Heaviest Users of Internet to Look Up
• Figure 25: 411 Callers More Likely to Work Full Time
• Figure 26: The Very Heaviest Users of 411 Much More Likely to Work Full Time
• Figure 27: Using Free DA Services to Find a Business Number
• Figure 28: Using Free DA Services to Find Home Phone Numbers
• Figure 29: Free 411 Callers Most Likely to Use Mobile for Business and Personal Calls
• Figure 3O: Free 411 Callers Have and Use More Handset Features
• Figure 31: Free 411 Callers are Younger
• Figure 32: Free 411 Callers Have More Numbers in Handset
• Figure 33: 411 Callers are Also Heavier Users of Traditional 411 Services
• Figure 34: Free 411 Callers Report Strong Usage
• Figure 35: Free 411 Callers More Aware of the Price of a 411 Call
• Figure 36: Heaviest Free 411 Users also Heaviest Users of Internet for Number Lookups
• Figure 37: Those Who Call Free 411 Want Mobile Numbers
• Figure 38: Free 411 Callers More Likely to be Suburbanites
• Figure 39: Free 411 Callers More Likely to Work Full Time
• Figure 40: Using Yellow Pages is Largely an Indoor Activity
• Figure 41: Yellow Pages Users More Likely to be Young Adults
• Figure 42: Yellow Pages Users' Mobile Usage Closely Mirrors National Sample
• Figure 43: Yellow Pages Users are Slightly Less Likely to Call 411
• Figure 44: Yellow Pages Users Are Less Likely to Call Free 411
• Figure 45: Yellow Pages Users are Less Likely to be Heaviest Users of the Internet for Number Lookups
• Figure 46: Yellow Pages Users Spend Less Time Online
• Figure 47: Yellow Pages Users Are Somewhat More Rural
• Figure 48: Yellow Pages Users Are Somewhat Less Likely to Work Outside the Home
• Figure 49: Ethnic Variation Among Yellow Pages Users
• Figure 50: Using White Pages as a First Choice for a Business Phone Number
• Figure 51: Using White Pages as a First Choice to Look Up an Individual' s Phone Number
• Figure 52: White Pages Users Less Likely to Use Mobile Handset Features
• Figure 53: White Pages Users Store Fewer Phone Numbers in Mobile
• Figure 54: White Pages Users Less Likely to Use Internet for Number Lookups
• Figure 55: White Pages Users Not Heaviest Internet Users
• Figure 56: White Pages Users Less Likely to Call 411
• Figure 57: White Pages Users Less Likely to Utilize Free 411
• Figure 58: White Pages Users Are More Rural
• Figure 59: White Pages Users by Age Group
• Figure 60: Ethnic Variations Among White Pages Users
• Figure 61: Using Internet Directories to Find Business Numbers
• Figure 62: Using Internet Directories to Find Home Phone Numbers
• Figure 63: Internet Directory Users More Sophisticated Mobile Subscribers
• Figure 64: Internet Directory Users Have More Numbers Stored in Mobile Handset
• Figure 65: Internet Directory Users Are the Heaviest Internet Users
• Figure 66: Internet Directory Users and 411 Use
• Figure 67: Internet Directory Users and Free DA Usage
• Figure 68: Internet Directory Users' Internet Usage for Number Lookups
• Figure 69: Internet Directory Users More Likely to be Suburbanites
• Figure 70: Internet Directory Users More Likely to Work Full Time
• Figure 71: Internet Directory Users Are Younger
• Figure 72: Consumers Use Search Engines to Look Up Business Numbers from Fixed Locations
• Figure 73: Consumers Use Search Engines from “Fixed” Locations
• Figure 74: Search Engine Users and Mobile Usage
• Figure 75: Search Engine Users Are Sophisticated Mobile Subscribers
• Figure 76: Search Engine Users Store More Numbers in Mobile Handset
• Figure 77: Time Spent Online Does Not Determine Heaviest Search Engine Users
• Figure 78: Search Engine Users Heavier Users of 411
• Figure 79: Search Engine Users Call Free DA More Often
• Figure 80: Search Engine Users More Aware of DA Pricing
• Figure 81: Search Engine Users Show Heaviest Overall Usage of Internet for Phone Number Lookups
• Figure 82: Search Engine Users Unlikely to be Rural
• Figure 83: Search Engine Users More Likely to Work
• Figure 84: Search Engine Users Are Younger
• Figure 85: Search Engine Users by Ethnicity
• Figure 86: Using Social Networking Sites to Find a Phone Number
• Figure 87: Social Networkers Are Younger
• Figure 88: Social Networkers' Mobile Usage Patterns
• Figure 89: Social Networkers Are Sophisticated Mobile Subscribers
• Figure 90: Social Networkers Have Large In-Phone Directories
• Figure 91: Social Networkers Heavy 411 Users
• Figure 92: Social Networkers Are Heavy Free DA Users
• Figure 93: Social Networkers Are More Price Aware
• Figure 94: Social Networkers Are Heavy Users of Internet for Phone Number Lookups
• Figure 95: Social Networkers Less Likely to be Rural
• Figure 96: Social Networkers More Likely to Work Full Time
• Figure 97: Social Networkers by Gender
• Figure 98: Social Networkers by Ethnicity
• Figure 99: Social Networkers Heaviest Users of Internet
• Figure 100: Asking Friends for a Business Number
• Figure 101: Asking Friends for a Home Number
• Figure 102: Those Who Ask Friends for Phone Numbers are Younger
• Figure 103: Those Who Ask Friends for Phone Numbers by Gender
• Figure 104: Those Who Ask Friends for Phone Numbers Are Sophisticated Mobile Users
• Figure 105: Those Who Ask Friends for Phone Numbers Store Fewer Numbers in Mobile
• Figure 106: Those Who Ask Friends for Phone Numbers Call 411 Less
• Figure 107: Those Who Ask Friends for Phone Numbers Call Free DA Less
• Figure 108: Those Who Ask Friends for Phone Numbers Use the Internet for Lookups More Often
• Figure 109: Those Who Ask Friends for Phone Numbers Spend Less Time Online