A survey of mobile magazine app use has determined that almost half of the respondents spend 20 minutes or more on the app while 40 per cent make a purchase as a result of in-app advertising.

The 2011 Texterity-BPA All-Mobile Survey — the sixth annual survey from digital-edition vendor Texterity with results this year certified by BPA Worldwide — “reveals a high degree of audience engagement, significant time spent within apps, multi-location and day-part use, an acceptance of in-app advertising, and a sophisticated level of cross-media participation,” according to a release from Texterity.

The results were gleaned from more than 5,000 magazine app users. Of that number, 72% of respondents completed the survey in North America, with the remainder responding from abroad.

The key finds from the survey highlighted by U.S.-based Texterity are that speed, ease, and access are the leading motivators in mobile readership; almost half of the respondents spend 20 minutes or more in their magazine app; mobile readers typically visit their app five times per month but also use other channels; 81% share content, mostly by e-mail and word of mouth but also by social media; and 40% make a purchase as a result of in-app advertising — online, in person, or by mail.

Another interesting find according to Texterity is that “twice as many people took this survey on an iPad as on a smartphone. This suggests that while tablets came to market later, they are gaining exceptional popularity —a fact that should shape the future thinking of publishers."

Kim Kett, Texterity’s vice president of sales and marketing, sees these results as a strong indicator of industry direction. “This research confirms that readers are using, acting on, and returning to content that is published on mobile devices. That increases its relevance and shelf life. The response also indicates that digital and mobile readership is becoming a way of life … and to reach these readers where they live, publishers will have to embrace evolving means of delivery.”

The survey report is available free of charge through this link.