UK: Mobile commerce steps out in bold strides

UK retail website visits share via mobile rose from 24% to 45% between Q4 2012 and Q4 2013, according to the “Quarterly Benchmarking Index” from the Interactive Media in Retail Group and Capgemini.

Noteworthy, mobile devices meet various needs not only for shoppers and buyers, but also for the advertisers trying to reach them. Though UK smartphone owners used smartphones and tablets somewhat less than laptops and desktops for product research and purchase, nearly half of those polled by the UK’s Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB UK) in 2013 said they had used a smartphone or tablet for research.

Moreover, smartphones and tablets ranked very close to laptops and desktops as the devices through which respondents had first seen an ad or marketing message related to the item they had bought.

IAB UK reported that 74% of all retailers it polled in June 2013 had a mobile-optimized site, and almost half had optimized their search functions for mobile. The same number provided a GPS store locator. However, less significant percentages offered in-store Wi-Fi or contactless payment facilities or had optimized their sites with tablet users in mind.