Mobile commerce helps boost retail performance
E-commerce sales have grown in April in the United Kingdom this year. Much of this growth is being powered by mobile commerce, according to the British Retail Consortium, a trade association representing the UK retail industry. The association has released a new report concerning the growth of e-commerce, showing that mobile purchases are becoming increasingly popular throughout the country. April, in particular, showed strong growth in the mobile commerce sector.
Report highlights retail growth
According to the report, online sales for April rose by 8.3%. This is lower than the 9% growth that had been reported in online sales in April 2012, but this increase still represents promising progress. The report shows that mobile commerce made up a prominent portion of online sales. The British Retail Consortium suggests that as many as one in five retailers claim that much of their sales are coming from those using mobile devices.
Mobile commerce becoming more popular with consumers
Mobile commerce has become much more than a simple trend in the UK retail industry. Consumers are beginning to favor their mobile devices when it comes to shopping; using their smartphones and tablets to shop for and purchase products they are interested in. The retail industry has yet to embrace mobile commerce entirely, but many companies have been making an effort to become more accommodating to consumers that are interested in mobile commerce.
Easter helps draw attention to mobile commerce services
The report from the British Retail Consortium shows that growth in the retail sector is strongest in health and beauty lines, as well as clothing and home accessories. Growth in mobile commerce during April was aided somewhat by the Easter holiday, during which many retailers launched new initiatives to engage mobile consumers. Some of these initiatives proved more successful than others, providing retailers with a better insight into the workings of mobile commerce.
Mobile commerce making significant progress in the UK
Mobile commerce is showing strong growth in the United Kingdom. More consumers throughout the country are gaining access to smartphones and tablets, and these mobile devices are making it more convenient for a wider variety of people to shop online. Mobile commerce has garnered acclaim for the convenience it offers consumers and several retailers are beginning to grow more accommodating to these consumers as they show a penchant for mobile payments. The growth of mobile commerce is strongly tied to the availability of mobile technology.
Smartphone ownership on the rise
According to a recent study from Gartner, a leading market research firm, sales for smartphones and tablets have been growing rapidly over the past two years. In 2012, the number of smartphones in the world reached 1 billion — one for every seven people in the world. The rapid growth of smartphone ownership has exposed more people to the concept of mobile commerce, a concept they have shown a great deal of interest in.
Proliferation of mobile technology draws more interest into mobile commerce
Ofcom, a government-approved regulator of the communications sector in the United Kingdom, has released information showing that half of the population of the country own a smartphone, with 19% of the population owning a tablet device. Approximately 81% of these smartphone owners prefer to use their smartphones over traditional forms of communication. Approximately 31% of all site traffic in the United Kingdom comes from mobile devices as well, creating a strong need for retailers to become more accommodating to the needs of mobile consumers.
Ease-of-use and simplicity appeal to consumers
The reasons consumers have been showing such strong interest in mobile commerce are straightforward. First, mobile commerce is considered simple, with purchases made for products being accomplished in a matter of seconds. Another factor is that mobile commerce platforms are easy to use, proving accommodating to mobile consumers of varying degrees of comfort with mobile technology. Mobile shopping is also considered, among consumers, to be more enjoyable than shopping at traditional stores, adding further appeal to mobile commerce.
