NEW YORK – Mobile phones are becoming a key shopping tool for car buyers, according to a report from Mojiva, a firm specializing in mobile display advertising strategies.

The quarterly report, which tracks the role mobile devices play in consumer shopping behaviors, showed that 50 percent of survey respondents expressed interest in using their mobile phone to research when buying or leasing a vehicle. For in-market customers, nearly half (47 percent) of consumers said that they would find mobile advertisements containing deals or offers most valuable to them.

The report also found that more than a third of (36 percent) of respondents plan to purchase a car in the next 12 months, while an additional 5 percent plan to lease one in the same timeframe. Additionally, 21 percent of consumers are open to mobile ads that provide features and benefits of the vehicle and/or the ability to sign up for deals, offers and future communications most valuable. More than half (57 percent) of consumers would browse a website or play a game as a result of seeing a mobile ad. Thirty-eight percent of consumers would request more information as a result of seeing a mobile ad on their phone.

“The results of this study should speak volumes to auto brands and the agencies that represent them,” said Amy Vale, vice president of global research and strategic communications for Mojiva. “Not only do a third of consumers surveyed plan to purchase a vehicle within the next 12 months, more than half of them would use their mobile devices as part of their research process. This provides brands with a tremendous opportunity to reach their target consumers with ads during the buying process that are likely to influence their decisions.”