• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, November 10, 2014

For mobile commerce, convenience is king.

While convenience may mean different things to different people, it looks like one of the main reasons consumers connect.

While consumers around the world go online for any number of reasons, there are four primary needs, based on a new study.

Three of the motivations to go online are connecting with family and friends, expressing opinions and exploring new subjects, but convenience  is key, according to a study of consumers who connect to the internet at least once a week.

In a report being published later this week, management consulting firm A.T. Kearney found that convenience is one of the main drivers for consumers to connect.

The 10-country study comprised a survey of 10,000 consumers, 1,000 each in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Brazil, Russia, China, India, South Africa and Nigeria.

While almost all (92%) consumers use the internet to access products and services, mobile clearly has a significant role, with most (82%) saying they connect to find locations when walking or driving around. In the U.S., that number is even higher (87%).

For most consumers, connectivity is continuous, with more than half (51%) globally saying they are online practically every waking hour. Connectivity varies by country, with people in some countries more connected than in others.

In Brazil and Nigeria, where younger populations and high smartphone penetration, there is significantly higher continuous connectivity than China and Japan. Here’s a country breakdown of how many say they are connected from every hour to all day long:

• 71% -- Brazil
• 66% -- Nigeria
• 61% -- South Africa
• 56% -- Russia
• 53% -- India
• 51% -- United States
• 45% -- United Kingdom
• 40% -- Germany
• 39% -- Japan
• 36% -- China

Almost a third (31%) of time online globally is spent on commerce, such as shopping and mobile banking.

Like many other studies, the A.T. Kearney survey found that most (90%) retail sales happen in physical stores. However, it also found that more than half (54%) prefer shopping online and nearly half of connected consumers use their smartphones to check prices or product information while in the store.

And for a mobile shopper, that is convenience.