44% Of Britons Shop On Mobile Devices

Mobile shopping is becoming more popular among consumers in the UK and 44% use a mobile device to shop online, a survey by retail technology company Omnico revealed. Still, this means that 56% have never shopped via their mobile phone or tablet. What’s more, 29% of respondents in the survey said they prefer to shop at a brick-and-mortar store rather than online. This news, Omnico suggests, could entice retailers to come up with new ways to combine their online and physical store offering.

Among the problems with mobile shopping respondents cited were: security concerns — 33%, and the small smartphone screen — 31%. Security concerns could be harder to eliminate, because retailers find it difficult to select an online payment option among the many payment providers on the online market. But they could retain their customers by setting up a flexible integration point that could be developed in the future, Omnico suggests.

When it comes to size concerns, the explanation may lie in the rise in popularity of phablets — hybrid devices with bigger screens that make shopping more enjoyable. According to Omnico, though, retailers can go around the constraints of small smartphone screens by adoption apps and mobile-friendly websites.

Omnico’s CTO Steve Thomas commented that although the advent of mobile shopping cannot be denied, there is still a considerable untapped audience. What retailers could, and should, do is innovate across digital channels in order to be able to provide their customers with an experience they will want to repeat.