Tag: united kingdom

UK continues to see major shift through mobile commerce

Mobile commerce is beginning to have a major impact on the United Kingdom business sector. Over the past year, mobile commerce has become a very prominent trend, with many consumers clamoring for the change to purchase products using their mobile devices rather than traditional means. Sage Pay, a provider of mobile commerce services, has released its third annual e-Business Report concerning United Kingdom businesses and their adoption of mobile commerce. The report shows that these businesses are beginning to consider mobile consumers as a very important demographic that cannot be ignored.

Report shows that businesses are beginning to focus on their e-commerce websites

The report surveyed some 1,500 online businesses throughout the United Kingdom. According to the report, less than a quarter of these businesses are developing their own mobile application, opting instead to focus on e-commerce websites. Approximately 73% are working to make their websites more accommodating of mobile commerce. These businesses are pushing to see higher levels of mobile traffic to their sites and provide consumers with more decisions during their shopping experience.

Mobile sales making up sizeable portion of activity

Those businesses that have dedicated applications catering to mobile consumers are seeing as much as 19% of their sales come from mobile devices. Sage Pay suggests that this is a sign that the mobile commerce market in the UK is beginning to expand. Consumers are feeling more comfortable engaging in mobile commerce as services become more secure and widely available. Many businesses have begun adopting mobile marketing campaigns that promote their commerce services, thus drawing even more attention to their mobile commerce endeavors.

Businesses becoming more accommodating of mobile consumers

As the UK continues to embrace mobile commerce, the business world is beginning to transform. Companies are beginning to take mobile consumers more seriously, adopting services that are align better with the demands of these consumers. They are also beginning to improve their mobile security measures in order to grow consumer confidence in mobile commerce. As mobile technology continues to grow in popularity, businesses have also begun adopting social media marketing as a powerful tool to get the attention of mobile consumers.

Tablet commerce finding traction during the holidays

Mobile shopping is nothing new, dating back to 1997 with Wireless Application Protocol sites, those that facilitate access to information over a mobile wireless network. Throughout the years, mobile shopping has evolved to become something that is wildly popular among tech-savvy consumers. This is becoming especially true for tablet users, who are beginning to represent a sizeable share of the mobile consumer base. Deloitte, a UK-based consulting firm, as well as several other market research firms, expects that tablet commerce will  see a great deal of attention during this year’s holiday season.

Consumers becoming more interested in tablet commerce

Tablet commerce is a form of mobile commerce that refers specifically to the use of tablet devices, such as the iPad. Tablets are becoming more popular among consumers because of their wider range of capabilities, which trump most conventional smart phones. This is especially true in the publishing space, where magazines, newspapers, and other publications are seeing a great deal of growth through the offering of digital editions designed specifically for tablets.

Forecasts predict tablets to account for major financial activity during Christmas season

Deloitte predicts that more than $400 million in sales will be made in the United Kingdom directly through smart phones during the Christmas season. Tablet commerce is expected to perform much better, with Deloitte forecasting more than $550 million in sales coming directly from tablets. Adobe’s Digital Index 2012 Online Shopping Forecast predicts that tablets will account for nearly 8% of all sales made in the United Kingdom during the Christmas season this year, up from the 3% share they held in the same period of 2011.

UK retailers beginning to take mobile commerce more seriously

British retailers are showing more serious interest in mobile shopping for tablets as well. Retailers are beginning to develop services that are specifically designed for tablet devices, rather than smart phones. Applications for tablets are becoming much more common and could help influence more shopping activity among mobile consumers that are interested in using their mobile devices to find and pay for products than participate in traditional forms of commerce and shopping.