Pew: One-quarter mobiles using LBS

That 28% of mobile users equals about 23% of all adults, not a bad percentage especially when paired with the fact that most LBS services point consumers to the nearest local business - the nearest Starbucks, gas station, restaurant or movie theatre.

In addition to getting directions consumers use LBS for:

"Americans are not currently al that eager to share explicitly their location on social media sites, but they are taking advantage of their phones' geolocation capabilities in other ways," said Kathryn Zickuhr, Pew Internet Project research specialist and co-author of the report. "Smartphone owners are using their phones to get fast access to location-relevant information on the go."

Pew researchers surveyed more than 2,000 consumers between April 26 and May 22, 2011 to come to their conclusions.

While one-quarter of consumers isn't a large number, it is an indicator that local businesses and larger stores need to have their information available to local consumers through mobile devices and apps. Having a simple way to find directions or get a recommendation for afternoon coffee or treats will likely lead to more foot traffic from on the go consumers.

Tags: LBS, location based services, mobile marketing, mobile social marketing, Pew Internet, social check-ins, social marketing