Internet consumers have no brand loyalty

Some 80 per cent of online customers would prefer a service provider giving them more choice of applications and services available on their mobile phones, according to research carried out by communications giant IBM.

The study indicates consumer demand for customisation and personalisation will drive the mobile market in coming years.

Dr Sungyoul Lee, global consulting leader of electronics industry at the firm, said that 60 percent of consumers questioned had no specific brand preference when it came to mobile internet services.

"With consumers clamouring for choice, the marketplace will need to innovate around open platforms and models to build loyalty.

"Clearly the same market forces which empowered consumers to choose personal computers that were open and enabled them to customise their applications are at play in the mobile web marketplace."

Last week, it was announced that the fourth annual Mobile User Experience Conference will be held at the Wallacespace in London this week and will attempt to find ways of making mobile communications more user-friendly.