USA: More than a third of mainstream consumers over the age of 30 experience deep frustration associated with their cell phone's interface according to a study revealed yesterday by Bowen Research, a firm that researches and evaluates consumer attitudes and behavior about high tech products, software and electronics. 29 Aug 2008

Worldwide sales of mobile phones reached close to 305 million units in the second quarter of 2008, a 11.8% increase over the second quarter of 2007, according to Gartner, Inc. Sales of mobile phones in the mature markets of Western Europe and North America slightly recovered after a difficult start. Western Europe reached close to 42 million units while North America surpassed 44 million units in the second quarter of 2008. 27 Aug 2008

The spending power of middle and upper-class consumers has plunged while lower-class consumers have more spending power, research by Cadiz shows. 22 Aug 2008

USA: It's rare to see Google command anything less than a large presence in just about any given e-business study these days, and the latest annual American Customer Satisfaction Index (ASCI) from the University of Michigan is no exception: ACSI scores for e-business rose 5.5% to 79.3 on ACSI's 100-point scale. That jump can largely be attributed to Google's own 10% climb to a score of 86. 21 Aug 2008

In my last Metrics Insider column, I wrote about the question of how advertising works. The column generated some great comments, and I got some very thoughtful responses via email. This week, I want to revisit the topic, and perhaps amplify a few points. 20 Aug 2008

How economically viable are the outlying regions of Richard's Bay and Empangeni in Zululand? The Newspaper Advertising Bureau (NAB) commissioned Freshly Ground Insights (FGI) to take a look at grocery shoppers in Zululand's eSikhawini, Ngwelezane, Nseleni and Macekane and found that they all travel to the centres to shop - most often to Sanlam Centre in Empangeni. The study also found that Spar is the number one grocery store for these shoppers. 19 Aug 2008

According to a leading US-based research company, Market Data Retrieval (MDR), which carries out research into direct sales and marketing solutions, educators in the US are a market that sales executives should target. 19 Aug 2008