BOSTON - More than 50 percent of smartphone owners use their phones for help while shopping on-site, according to a new report from Chadwick Martin Bailey and iModerate Research Technologies, Marketing Daily reports.

"As someone who uses [a smartphone for shopping], I'm not surprised by the results," said Jeff McKenna, a senior consultant for Chadwick Martin Bailey. "What??s surprising is that it reaffirms what I had expected so strongly."

Barcode scanner apps are most used by shoppers while in stores (44 percent), followed by discount apps, such as LivingSocial and Groupon (38 percent). Thirty-one percent of smartphone users access review sites via a Web browser in stores.

The youngest demographic group uses smartphones the most while shopping. For those under the age of 35, 28 percent have used smartphones to buy something, while 23 percent of those between the ages of 35 and 49, and 10 percent of those age 50 and older, purchased something with their phones.

"Given how people are using these smartphones so close to the shopping experience, and how close it is to the transactional experience, [retailers] need to be paying attention to it," said McKenna. "Similar to the social media phenomenon, and how companies are working out how to handle it, this is a similar area."