Premium rate services: the consumer perspective

We asked mobilesquared to take a deeper look at the 2014/15 data to understand the consumer perspective of PRS. While the annual market review takes a holistic view of the PRS market and its component parts, the PRS consumer report focuses on consumers and their attitudes to PRS.

Download The PRS Consumer Report

I recommend the report to providers looking to gain insight into their user base and consumer attitudes towards their services. The report addresses the questions of who the PRS user is, what they like about PRS and what drives them away. Providers will also note that the report annexes a raft of user data, broken down by service type.

Key findings:

• The PRS user base is predominantly young and male but this varies across various service types. Adult and chat services are heavily skewed towards male users, whereas competitions, charity donations and tarot services are more popular among female PRS users.
• Consumers like the convenience of PRS and, generally, have a positive user experience. Existing PRS users see further potential for charge to mobile as a payment mechanic. In particular, the over-45s would welcome more charge to mobile opportunities. PRS users are price sensitive. Users who increased their PRS usage do so because they find it affordable. On the other hand, value for money and the draw of free alternatives are challenges that many service providers will have to overcome.
• Trust and perceived non-compliance remain issues that industry need to address. This is particularly true for adult services, TV voting, customer service and competitions.
• Despite seeing the potential of the charge to mobile model, the over-45s are leaving PRS at a disproportionately high rate.

We look forward to discussing the report’s findings with industry and addressing its conclusions.