UK m-commerce soars 141% in a year as consumers turn to smartphones

M-commerce and the use of smartphones for online shopping in the UK has skyrocketed by 141% in 12 months, research by Feefo has found. By contrast, the use of laptops and desktops for online shopping has dropped by 47% over the same period.

Exploring the habits of 2,000 UK adults, the research reveals 53% of UK shoppers are now most likely to use their mobile for online shopping, compared with only 22% in Feefo’s research last year. And whereas 59% of respondents mostly used laptops and desktops for online shopping 12 months ago, this year the figure has crashed to 31%.

In another indicator of the future, the research revealed a big increase in the percentage of consumers buying through social media. More than four-in-ten (42%) have bought through an advert on a social platform, compared with only 30% in 2018.

“Huge tectonic shifts are rapidly changing how UK consumers shop,” says Matt West CEO at Feefo. “Retailers need to react swiftly or risk being undermined fast. Unless you understand exactly how your customers’ habits are changing, you’ll lose out to a competitor who does.”

The research reveals significant differences between sexes and age-groups in shopping. Shopping online with a smartphone is more popular among women (the favourite method of 64%) than men (41%).

The research also found that more than four-in-ten consumers (42%) prefer to shop by researching and buying products or services online when they are at home, up from 38% last year.  And with this, retailer websites  and marketplaces  such as eBay or Facebook Marketplace are identified as the most frequent shopping sites

“Any business of any size needs a mechanism to understand customers as quickly and intimately as possible,” adds West. “It’s all about customer experience. Consumers’ habits are changing so rapidly that unless your business has a feedback mechanism, you stand little chance of spotting trends and staying ahead of the pack.”

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