One way to view smartphones is as a direct-response tool that consumers carry around in their pockets. Viewing an outdoor ad, for example, smartphone owners can act immediately via mobile to show interest or make a purchase. Yet while this behavior does occur, research shows that smartphone and tablet users who see ads on their mobile devices are more likely to act on those ads via the desktop.

July research from Nielsen indicated that 22% of US smartphone users had made an online purchase via PC after seeing a mobile ad, more than quadruple the percentage who had purchased on their phone. Notably, tablet users were even more likely to buy something on a PC after seeing an ad on their device. Given that tablets have a large-enough screen size and are more commonly used at home than out and about, users’ reasons for switching to the desktop to make a purchase suggest discomfort with mobile purchases, even when the individual isn’t on the go, or the possibility that retail sites are not well-optimized for tablet viewing or utilization.