Asda confident in m-commerce success

Friday, June 1, 2012 - 11:19 by Sarah Collinson

UK supermarket chain, Asda, has just completed phase one of its move to a multiplatform style of retail, which heavily involves safe shopping online and m-commerce.

The firm is predicting that within the first six months of the launch of its iPhone and Android grocery shopping app, it will double the number of orders which are placed via smartphone devices.

Part of the reason that Asda is pushing mobile and online is that it wants to show just how integrated the modern shopping experience can be.

Orders placed on portable gadgets can be amended from desktop computers or laptops, so there is a degree of continuity to Asda's take on safe shopping online, which it hopes will appeal to British consumers.

Asda's online store has ten million registered members, but it is its in-store collection service which is making waves, with 40 per cent of all orders now picked up by the customer locally, after they have been ordered online.

500,000 people have downloaded the iPhone version of its m-commerce app, while 75,000 Android users have investigated their own iteration of this service. It is worth noting that the Android version has only been available for a month, with the iPhone getting a five month headstart, so uptake is likely to increase.

The second phase of Asda's m-commerce integration strategy is to roll out QR codes across its stores and thus allow customers with smartphones to scan them in and get lots more information about individual items via their handsets.

Asda COO, Judith McKenna, said that UK consumers can no longer be divided along the lines of those who shop online and those who do not. As such, this multichannel approach is necessary in order to capture as much of the market as possible, while also making smartphone users happy.