Online retailers are expecting a ‘boom’ in mobile purchases with over 4 million Brits shopping on their smartphones while watching the 2018 World Cup.
The new research from Experience Analytics company Clicktale, examined the influence of ‘boredom buying’ among UK shoppers.
Of 1000 people surveyed, nearly one in five (17%) said that they are having to watch the World Cup despite not actually being interested in football. According to Clicktale’s ‘Stress Shopping’ report, as many as third of these viewers will shop on their mobiles phones in an effort to relieve this boredom.
Commenting on the phenomenon of ‘boredom buying’, retail psychologist, Liraz Margalit said, “Shopping has always been an emotion-driven activity, with people regularly using it as a way to distract themselves from boredom. In the mobile age it’s easier than ever for consumers to browse and buy online in an effort to kill the odd 90 minutes.
“Obviously everyone feels the need to watch England play in the World Cup, but the reality is that a lot of those watching wouldn’t normally be interested in football. As such we’re seeing a huge number of people taking time out during the game to do a bit of subtle shopping on their smartphones. For online and mobile retailers this rise in what Clicktale calls ‘boredom buying’ represents a huge boom in potential sales. Based on our calculations, we predict at least 4 million people will be making a purchase on their smartphones during the games.”
For more information on emotion-driven retail, download Clicktale’s ‘Stress Shopping‘ report.