The pace of growth in the use of mobile internet in second- and third-tier cities across China exceeded that of first-tier cities including Beijing and Shanghai for the first time, according to Dianping.
The online business platform has issued a report that shows service-oriented needs such as e-membership cards and online restaurant reservations are emerging, and online restaurant reservations via mobile apps are gradually influencing traditional habits.
The report also showed that users of mobile devices are personalizing the experience to a much higher degree than before and that men are starting to play an increasingly important role in the consumption of information provided over mobile.
Dianping analyzed the behavior data of mobile users in 22 developed cities across China based on data collected between August 2012 and August 2013.
The cities include Beijing, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Fuzhou, Guangzhou,Hangzhou, Harbin, Jinan, Nanjing, Ningbo, Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Tianjin, Wuhan, Xi'an, Xiamen and Zhengzhou.
Data shows that views on Dianping mobile apps in Changsha surged more than 350% year-on-year during the past year, more than double that in Shanghai.
Among the 22 cities surveyed, Changsha ranked first in terms of mobile internet growth during the past year, followed by Ningbo and Tianjin.