Aussies to make 7bn click-to-calls to businesses this year

Australian consumers are predicted to call businesses from smartphones by clicking links from web content 7 billion times in 2016, according to a study from Marchex.

The mobile advertising analytics company said Australians are increasingly using ‘click-to-call’ functionality to contact businesses directly from search engines, websites, display advertising and social networks.

While Australian e-commerce revenues are progressively increasing, online sales still account for just 4.5% of consumer purchases, Marchex Country Manager of ANZ Daniel Benton commented.

“The remaining purchases occur in the ‘real world’ and are increasingly influenced by digital and mobile research,” he said.

“A click-to-call is one of the most natural and common ways consumers will reach out to businesses across a variety of industries, including financial services, travel, local services, technology and retail.”

The research shows that 80% of Australia’s top brands show a phone number in Google’s organic or paid results. Among phone calls made by Australians to businesses from smartphones, 82% are product and service conversations, and of these, more than 25% are sales or appointments.

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