The study, which looked into the multichannel browsing and shopping habits of UK consumers, found that, in comparison, smartphone users are shopping less and less in store, with high street visits dropping to 56.6% from 72.7% as consumers adapt to the most convenient and useful channel for browsing and purchasing needs.
The results, the second of their kind, confirm the rapid pace at which the mobile market is developing and for retailers cements the importance of creating coherent multichannel strategies for consumers.
Chris Russell, Director at eDigitalResearch, explains, “The dramatic increase in Smartphone use is fundamentally affecting consumer behaviour. We are entering into an age of MEcommerce; a shopping revolution where the consumer now has the power to dictate to retailers where, when and how they want to shop. These results clearly show that Smartphone owners have already increased the use of phones for researching and browsing products at home, out and about and in store too, and will no doubt continue into the future.”
Mark Adams, Sales and Marketing Director at Portaltech, comments, “This is a really exciting time for retail. Technology is evolving quickly and what is most interesting is how rapidly consumers are adapting to it – especially the younger generation and more fashion led sectors. We can see how mobile has gathered pace extremely rapidly and this is because mobile serves a real purpose – allowing the customer to browse, shop or find information wherever they are and whenever it is most convenient.”
The research demonstrates to retailers the importance of developing both a mobile website and an app, as shopping and browsing across both platforms has increased, with a staggering 30% of Smartphone users browsing mobile websites on a regular basis.
Chris continues to explain, “Mobile presents a huge opportunity for brands and there is no doubt that this major shift in consumer behaviour will continue to develop over the forthcoming months and years. These latest results indicate that an incredible 46% of Smartphone users expect to increase the amount of browsing and shopping they do via their device in the not so distant future.”