UK leads Europe in mobile commerce growth
Mobile commerce is growing at a rapid pace in Europe, but one country has established a clear lead over other when it comes to driving this growth forward. According to data from Vente-privee.com, a leading European online retailer, the United Kingdom has established itself as a leader in the mobile field. The data suggests that the United Kingdom is the most mobile-centric country of the eight largest European nations. This has helped mobile commerce establish a strong foothold in the country, from which it can spread throughout the rest of the region.
Data shows 37% of sales come from UK mobile devices
The data from Vente-privee.com shows that approximately 32% of its sales come from mobile devices. The majority of these sales (53%) come from tablets, with approximately 47% coming from smartphones. Tablets have been growing more popular as mobile shopping platforms due to their large screens, which make it easier for consumers to navigate online stores. The data also shows that some 37% of online sales come from the United Kingdom, with France accounting for 29%.
UK consumers prove to be very mobile-centric
UK consumers seem to be more reliant on mobile devices than those in other countries. Many of these consumers have grown up with a strong involvement in some type of technology and have thus developed a strong affinity for mobile devices and other such technologies. This has enabled the UK to embrace mobile commerce more readily than other countries and retailers in the UK have been significantly more aggressive than others in their adoption of mobile payments.
Lack of mobile websites could slow growth over the long term
While mobile commerce is growing in the United Kingdom, this growth has been hampered by the relative lack of mobile-optimized websites. These sites were initially designed to be used for PCs rather than mobile devices. As such, mobile consumers often have trouble navigating these sites and making use of what mobile commerce services they may provide.
Mobile games attract the attention of the BBFC
Mobile games are becoming a more prominent part of British society and have even become the preferred medium of entertainment for some. As mobile games continue to grow in popularity, they are beginning to attract the attention of influential organizations, namely the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). The BBFC is a non-governmental agency that is funded by the film industry and responsible for the classification and appropriate censorship of video content both online and off.
BBFC will take over Classification Framework this year
The BBFC has announced that it will begin managing the “Classification Framework” that allows mobile network operators to handle access to commercial content. This framework imposes restrictions on content for consumers that are under the age of 18. Currently, the framework is only responsible for video content that is produced, but will soon cover mobile games as well. Beginning in September of this year, the BBFC is expected to begin imposing classification and censorship standards on various kinds of mobile games.
Organization will work to address privacy issues with mobile games
The move from the BBFC comes as consumers begin to consume more content through their mobile devices than through traditional mediums. As consumption trends change, so to must the regulatory infrastructure in order to better serve a new generation of people and their shifting interests. Notably, the connection that mobile games have with children has become an area of concern within the United Kingdom as well as other countries. Many of these games are designed with children in mind, but they collect personal information from mobile devices upon which they are played. This has created a great deal of controversy, much of which is focused on the potential of mobile games violating the privacy rights of young people.
Mobile games may soon be regulated in the same way as film
The Classification Framework was initially managed by the Mobile Classification Board, but the organization has yielded control of the framework to the BBFC due to that organization’s extensive experience in the film industry. The BBFC is likely to help resolve some of the privacy issues that currently exist with mobile games in the United Kingdom as well as work to restrict access to mobile content involving drug use, ethnic discrimination, and nudity.
