January 2019
Featured in this insight: Financial services, IT & telecommunications, Retail
Survey suggests smartphone shopping to increase by £10bn this year: Findings of a recent poll looking at how people use their smartphones suggest that more consumers will shop online this year using a smartphone or tablet than through visiting a physical retail store.
Following a uSwitch poll of 2,005 UK shoppers, researchers predict a rise of £10billion for goods bought via smart devices in 2019. According to the survey, 58% of respondents will shop using their smartphones or tablets this year – which equates to 30 million Britons. This is an increase of 12 million on 2018 figures, taking spending up to £25 billion.
Findings from the research show that for the first time, smartphone purchases (58%) have overtaken visits to high street stores and shopping centres (56%), with the top reason given by the majority of shoppers (66%) being the convenience it offers.
Other reasons for choosing shopping online versus in-store include being able to shop at all hours (64%), the ability to search for the best prices (40%) and being offered a wider choice of products (39%).
The most popular products to buy online
Of all the products we buy online, the poll found apparel topped the list with 69% saying they used their smartphones to buy clothes. Other items include books (51%), grocery shopping (47%) and tickets for the cinema (43%).
Head of retail insights and analytics at the British Retail Consortium, Rachel Lund, said:
"Smartphones are not a threat to the high street, but an opportunity for retailers able to integrate the physical and digital experience, particularly as shoppers often browse websites whilst in shops.”
