Two thirds of consumers spend more money in venues with Wi-Fi

63 per cent of consumers are more likely to spend additional money in a venue that offers Wi-Fi, a new survey has found.

The research, conducted by cloud networking firm Purple WiFi, also found that over three quarters (77 per cent) of consumers were more likely to go to a location with free Wi-Fi, with half (48 per cent) using public Wi-Fi at least once a week.

The results highlight a possible demand for in-store Wi-Fi connectivity among consumers, as the Wi-Fi market prepares to rocket from a value of $40 billion (£23.5bn) in 2013 to $93 billion (£54.6bn) by 2018.

However, Purple WiFi’s finding also indiciate that stores that opt to offer free Wi-Fi to visitors should also make sure they clearly explain how to get online.

66 per cent of people surveyed said that they were often confused about how to get online, with over half (54 per cent) believing they are automatically connected in a venue that offers Wi-Fi, seven per cent thinking they have to switch off and on again to connect and five per cent having no idea at all about how to connect.

Among the biggest uses of public Wi-Fi was the chance to check emails, with 87 per cent of users using free internet to catch up.

69 per cent of users used the connection to update their social media profiles, while 63 per cent simply browsed the web.

Only a quarter (27 per cent) of people use public Wi-Fi for work purposes, double the number who conversely view video content (14 per cent).

Image of Wi-Fi sign courtesy of Shutterstock.co.uk