Shopping via smartphones to rise by £10bn

SHOPPING via smartphones and tablets is set to rise by £10 billion on last year as consumers will make more visits to online sites than malls for the first time, a survey suggests.

Some 30 million Britons (58%) will use smart devices to shop this year, an increase of 12 million on last year, with spending to reach £25 billion, a rise of 66% on last year, according to the poll by uSwitch.

The findings indicate that more people now buy online using a smart device (58%) than in shopping centres (56%).

Convenience is driving the popularity of smartphone and tablet shopping, with 66% of shoppers citing it as the main draw of using a smart device, while 64% cited the ability to shop at any time, 40% appreciated being able to compare prices and 39% said it provided them with more choice.

Clothes are by far the most popular product bought online (69%), ahead of books (51%), groceries (47%) and theatre or cinema tickets (43%).

Ru Bhikha, mobiles spokesman at uSwitch, said: “With smartphone and tablet shopping now a £25 billion industry, it’s hardly surprising that major retailers have long adopted a mobile-first approach to their websites and have even introduced their own apps to make the user experience as easy as possible.

“Cleaner user journeys and the ease of one-click purchasing will only add to the number of people shopping on their phones and tablets.”

Rachel Lund, head of retail insights and analytics at the British Retail Consortium, said: “The BRC-Hitwise monitor shows more than 50% of hits on retailers’ websites coming from mobile phones. The challenge continues to be in driving conversions.

“Smartphones are not a threat to the high street, but an opportunity for retailers able to integrate the physical and digital experience, particularly as shoppers often browse websites whilst in shops.”