Shopping via mobile and tablet set to double in UK

25 Mar 2013

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Online mobile phone and tablet spend is expected to more than double over the course of the next year, according to new research.

Mobile shopping, or m-commerce, has seen a rise of 55 per cent as against a year ago, with an item now purchased on eBay every second via a smartphone or tablet.

However, consumers, report that frustrations over speed and consistency of connectivity were putting them off using their phones even more. However, thanks to new 4G connections, offering speeds around five times faster than on most current mobiles, it was estimated that the amount spent via m-commerce would now rise a further 115 per cent over the next 12 months, during which time the number of smart phones would also overtake the number of PCs in the UK.

Universal 4G coverage is expected to reach 98 per cent of the UK, in approximately a year, adding in the process £1.8 billion to the UK economy, according to the research agency Conlumino.

Of that increase, £800 million was expected to come from existing mobile shoppers spending more money, while another £1 billion would come from new users.

According to estimates, just under a third of all UK adults currently used a smart phone for some aspect of their shopping, which included browsing for inspiration, but also so-called ''showrooming'', where users checked prices on their phones while in a rival physical shop. Only 10 per cent currently actually completed transactions on their mobiles.

The faster broadband service is expected to give more reliable connectivity facilitating purchases on smart phones for customers put off by unreliable, slow connection.

According to Olivier Ropars, senior director of mobile commerce at eBay Europe, which compiled the report, consumers today wanted convenience and speed. The arrival of universal 4G would bring with it a more immersive, instant and intimate shopping experience than ever before - putting the most exciting features of mobile retail as they were known into high definition.

He said it would not just turbo-charge the way people shopped, it would truly give them the ability to shop anytime, anywhere, which meant an extra £1.8 billion of consumer spending up for grabs.

Neil Saunders, director of Conlumino, said retailers today needed to take every chance to engage consumers, inspiring them and giving them every possible opportunity to buy and interact with their brands.

He said an omnichannel approach was key to making this happen and with universal 4G on the horizon, retailers could not afford to stand still.

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