During Christmas 2014, more than half of online purchases in the UK are made on a mobile device, according to the 2015 predictions report from global technology analyst company CCS Insight.
As mobile and tablet usage is reaching saturation, CCS Insight believes mobile shopping will make up over 50% of all online purchases this festive season.
Buying on smartphones and tablets becomes mainstream as the UK embraces the convenience of shopping on the sofa, in the bedroom and while commuting.
The trend highlights mobile-optimised Web sites as an important differentiator for retailers and pushes them to sharpen their focus on targeted marketing.
An even larger proportion of online purchases is “touched by mobile”, where a mobile device is used in at least part of the buying process, even if it is completed on a PC.
Commenting on the findings, Shaun Collins, CEO, CCS Insight, said: “Mobile retail has become a staple component of retailers offerings. As the smartphone and tablet markets reach saturation point retailers have recognised buying on smartphones and tablets will be mainstream and drive significant revenues. Christmas is an incredibly lucrative period for the retail sector and with a mature mobile and tablet market in the UK, mobile-optimised Web sites will be an important differentiator for retailers and will push them to sharpen their focus on targeted marketing.
The retail market is fragmenting at pace. Consumers have myriad ways of ordering, delivering and collecting their purchases and mobile has become central to this process. Mobile payments, individual store apps and websites are putting the consumer and their mobile devices in the driving seat, be it at home on the sofa, in store or on the commute to work.”
Martin Girdlestone, Head of Consultancy Services at Salmon added: “As more shoppers turn to mobile, it is more important than ever for brands to have an exceptional multichannel offering in place. Bringing the high‐street online in a creative and functional way is no mean feat – consumers respect and return to brands that deliver an outstanding level of service and make our busy lives easier, fitting in rather than adding on. The challenge for retailers and indeed all multichannel businesses is that, consumers still want a personalised experience.
“Communication and interaction is just as vital as a smooth mobile checkout and brands need to think about how they can add the ‘human touch’ to their online customer relationships. It’s almost as if we’ve gone full circle and need to revert back to a more traditional approach to guarantee loyalty – a mix of modern convenience and traditional customer values. The brands that really win in mobile are those which can combine automated functionality with high street-style personal service.”