British consumers ready for mobile shopping, retailers aren't

Despite the desire of many Brits to shop via their mobile phones many of the U.K.'s retailers don't have transactional mobile shopping sites, according to new research from mobile shopping club Glamoo.

by Helen Leggatt

glamoo logo.pngThe U.K. has more mobile phones than people, and over a quarter of those devices are smartphones. Of the smartphone users, a whopping 75% would like to make purchases via their devices, found Glamoo's survey of 4,000 mobile users. They want to be able to do their weekly food shop, send gifts or book a trip abroad.

The fact is, 3 million Brits already shop from their mobiles at least once a week because it saves time (59%) and is convenient (31%). Of the places people said they would shop via their mobile, the passenger seat of a car was the most popular (42%) followed by during their daily commute (28%).

Half of the 1,000 or so smartphone owners surveyed by Glamoo said they would purchase a Christmas gift via their phone this year, and 44% of women would send a gift direct from their device.

However, they will mostly be limited to purchasing games, tickets and some electronic products via their mobile phones because the country's retail giants don't yet have transactional mobile sites. Many of the U.K.'s retailers have instead opted for apps, but are slowly moving over to mobile websites as the mobile Internet becomes more accessible to users.

According to a survey carried out by eDigital Research for the Association for Interactive Media and Entertainment (AIME), the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and the Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG), most U.K. retailers expect m-commerce to be part of their marketing strategy within the next year.

Over 40% intend to have a transactional mobile website, or app, within the next year.

"For brands, extending their presence onto mobile has been a daunting prospect, simply due to the new jargon, technologies and tricks of the trade that need to be understood in order to make the most of the medium," said Alex Kozloff, mobile manager for the Internet Advertising Bureau.

"But with U.K. consumers already seeking out brands on their mobile phones, in particular retailers, it really is essential that marketers ensure the mobile experience they offer is just as useful, usable and engaging as their other properties, both on and offline."