10 million Brits harness m-commerce in past 12 months

Wednesday, April 13, 2011 - 09:54 by Paul Tissington

The latest figures suggest that more than 10 million consumers in the UK used their mobiles to carry out various m-commerce transactions, including safe shopping online, over the last year.

Topping the list of favourite mobile activities was online shopping, although other services such as online banking and booking tickets for travel, were also high ranking in the list compiled on behalf of analyst firm TeaLeaf.

On average, UK consumers used mobiles four and a half times a month in order to carry out transactions, taking things a step further than simply browsing products on phones and then picking them up in store.

Fifty-one per cent of those questioned as part of the study said that they would rather shop using their mobile than via a bricks and mortar retailer. Fifty-two per cent said they felt happier using mobile sites to carry out safe shopping online than using their PCs or laptops, which suggests that the shift towards m-commerce is definitely tangible.

Of course the m-commerce market is still growing and consumers are getting more and more choice, which is why the news that 66 per cent would not use a firm twice if the experience of making a transaction on a mobile was clunky or rife with issues. This may act as a wakeup call for any retailers who have not invested in a dedicated platform tailored to mobile users.

Sixty-one per cent of respondents who had been faced with an imperfect experience in a particular app or mobile site, said that they would let their nearest and dearest know about the inadequacies of such a service in order to discourage them from using it.

The increasing use of mobiles for wide ranging transactions that traditionally were restricted to computers or the high street will, hopefully, encourage retailers to up their game in 2011.