Mobile shopping is on the rise throughout the United Kingdom
Cheil Worldwide has released the results of a recent survey concerning the growth of mobile commerce in the United Kingdom. Consumers in the UK have been growing increasingly mobile as they begin to rely more heavily on their smartphones and tablets. As such, they have begun using these devices to shop more frequently. Mobile commerce allows consumers to shop online from a mobile device wherever they are and this concept has become quite attractive to many people in the United Kingdom.
Mobile devices are becoming strong shopping tools for consumers
According to the survey, the mobile commerce market has grown by 63% over the past five years. The majority of this growth was seen over the past two years, driven heavily by the results that retailers had seen during the holiday seasons of 2012 and 2013. The survey shows that approximately 55% of shoppers claimed to have used a mobile device in store, with 54% of these shoppers using their devices to compare prices of products online. Many mobile shoppers also use their devices to research products being offered by multiple retailers.
Many people purchase their mobile devices with shopping in mind
The survey suggests that mobile devices have become one of the most favored shopping tools among consumers. The survey shows that 50% of consumers had shopping in mind when they purchased their mobile devices. These devices are not only being used to research products and compare prices, of course, as many consumers have used their smartphones and tablets to outright purchase the products they are interested in. In the United Kingdom, mobile payments are becoming much more common.
Mobile spending is on the rise
The amount of money people are spending through their mobile devices has more than doubled over the past five years. Consumers appear to favor mobile commerce because of its convenience. Shopping on a mobile device allows them to avoid lines at checkout and the chaos that is often associated with physical stores. During the holiday season, mobile shopping becomes much more common as consumers look to avoid crowds at large stores.
Weve teams with MasterCard to accelerate adoption among businesses
Weve, an upcoming mobile commerce platform in the United Kingdom, has announced that it has partnered with MasterCard. This partnership is meant to make the launch of Weve throughout the UK smooth as well as accelerate the rate at which merchants adopt the platform. The United Kingdom is quickly becoming one of the most attractive mobile payments market in the world. More consumers are using their mobile devices to shop online, claiming that shopping from a mobile device is more convenient.
Weve aims to provide organizations with platform that can effectively engage consumers
Weve was introduced last year after it had won the approval of the European Union. The platform represents a joint venture from Vodafone, EE, and O2, three of the largest telecommunications organizations in the United Kingdom. Weve is meant to serve as an all-encompassing platform that banks, retailers, and advertisers can use to engage mobile consumers. Such platforms are becoming more important as consumers begin to rely more heavily on their smartphones and tablets in daily life.
Partnership with MasterCard may attract more attention to mobile commerce platform
In partnering with MasterCard, Weve may be able attract the attention of banks and other organizations more quickly. Banks and retailers typically invest in third parties to develop mobile commerce platforms for them, but these platforms are often quickly developed and offer limited features to consumers. Through Weve, businesses will have a well-developed platform they can use to engage consumers more effectively and provide these consumers with a favorable experience.
Weve may not win favor with iOS consumers without NFC devices
Weve anticipates that it will see widespread rollout in the United Kingdom beginning in 2015. The platform is expected to be used as part of more than 300,000 point of sale systems in the country. The problem, however, is that the platform is based on NFC technology, meaning that those without NFC-enabled mobile devices, such as those with iOS devices, will not be able to make use of Weve. This could limit the potential acceptance than Weve receives in the United Kingdom.
