Mobile use while you shop could boost cost according to research

RETAIL: Shoppers said to move more slowly around stores while on phones

Using a mobile phone on a trip to the supermarket pushes up shopping bills by 41% on average, a study has found.

The research, by Bath University, found shoppers move around stores at a lower pace when they use their phones to keep up with messages, social media or calls.

Shoppers in one study added 45% more items to their basket while using a phone, while those taking part in a second study added 58% more.

This is believed to be because using a phone distracts people from their planned shopping lists and so-called autopilot shop, where consumers take a routine path to their regular items.

Looking at an increased amount of items may jog their memory about things they have run out of, or simply inspire them to make extra purchases.

Dr Carl-Philip Ahlbom, of Bath University’s School of Management, said: “Retailers have tended to worry that when shoppers use their mobiles it’s distracting them from spending money, so we were amazed to find completely the reverse effect.

“The findings were very clear – the more time you spend on your phone, the more money you’ll part with.

“So if you’re trying to budget, leave your phone in your pocket. It’s not the phone itself that causes more purchases, but its impact on our focus.

“On the plus side, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing for shoppers.

“Taking a slower and more scenic journey can remind you of products you’d forgotten you needed, and it can introduce you to items that might make for a more inspiring menu.”

The Stockholm School of Economics, Babson College in Massachusetts and Tennessee University also took part in the research.

In the first study, 294 people aged between 18 and 73 at four Swedish supermarkets wore eye-tracking glasses throughout a shopping trip.

These glasses recorded their visual fields and where they fixated their eyes.

Researchers measured the amount of time they spent in the shop, the number of times they ‘fixated’ on a product or price, their movements through the store, whether they used a mobile phone and if so, for how long.

Their receipts were then used to assess their spending.

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The more time you spend on your phone, the more money you’ll part with. DR CARL-PHILIP AHLBOM