New research from GfK MRI-Starch Advertising of more than 7000 users has found that tablet owners are far more likely to engage with an ad than eBook reader owners, but to me this is probably more about the capabilities of the device then anything else.

For instance, 23 percent of tablet owners reported clicking through to a website from an ad, whereas less than one percent of eBook readers did this. If you own a Kindle, for example, which is a very popular eBook reader, the web access just isn't that good. How likely is a person to click through on the Reader to a black and white, low-resolution view of a modern website? It's not a good bet, and the statistics demonstrate that.

In other consumer interaction questions, 9 percent of tablet users viewed multiple pages of an ad, while 8 percent clicked through to a video. Meanwhile less than one percent of eBook reader users took these actions.

Where it gets a little more interesting is the action taken after viewing an ad. When asked if they would consider purchasing a product or service after viewing an ad on either device, the same percentage, 22 percent, agreed they would, regardless of the device. 

The gap widened some when asked if the ad generated a favorable view of the advertiser with 21 percent of tablet owners answering in the affirmative with 19 percent of eBook reader owners agreeing with the statement. Finally, when asked if they looked for more information after viewing the ad, the gap was 21 percent to 15 percent with tablet owners more likely to look for more information.

So what does this say about the owners of each device? Probably not very much because it seems to me it has more to do with the technological capabilities of each device. The tablet, especially the iPad, which is by far the most popular within the category, is geared toward engagement. Therefore, if an ad captures a user's attention, he or she will be more likely to engage with it.

It will be interesting see what happens over the next year as we see fewer stand-alone eBook readers as more devices are released with tablet functionality, blurring the lines between the two devices.

For more information:
- see the GfK MRI press release

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