European m-commerce usages on the increase

Tuesday, August 2, 2011 - 11:12 by Sarah Collinson

A new study has found that 13.5 million people across Europe used smartphones to carry out safe shopping online in the second quarter of 2011, which is a 37 per cent year on year increase for m-commerce uptake.

Thirteen and a half million people is the equivalent of about six per cent of all mobile users across the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy, which suggests that if m-commerce continues to grow there is still a vast, untapped pool of consumers who could benefit and start spending money on their smartphones.

It is the UK that continues to lead m-commerce growth in Europe's largest markets, according to the comScore report. Usage was up 163 per cent, well ahead of other big nations such as Germany, with a 108 per cent increase and France with just 80 per cent.

Spain and Italy were well behind the UK when it comes to smartphone uptake and m-commerce usage, with the latter registering only 8 per cent growth in this sector over the past year.

It is the ravenous consumer hunger for smartphones and tablets that is driving the UK to lead its European neighbours when it comes to safe shopping online on mobile platforms.

74 per cent of smartphone owners head to product review and price comparison sites on their mobiles, while 76 per cent check up on auction sites like eBay when out and about.

Significantly the latest figures suggest that dedicated apps for retailers may not be the best way to go, as only a small percentage of users are actually shopping through a standalone app, with most choosing to use the mobile website or full desktop site on their mobile to make purchases. This suggests that consumers are happy to stick with a browser-based interface for online shopping.