Poor mobile connectivity costing retailers up to 1.2 billion pounds

UK retailers may be missing out on as much as 1.2 billion pounds in sales due to abandoned mobile purchases, according to new research from e-commerce service Webloyalty. Together with retail expert Conlumino they surveyed over 2,000 UK consumers this August to discover that 85.7 percent have had to abandon a purchase via phone or tablet, with nearly seven in ten citing internet connectivity issues as the main reason for leaving a purchase.

Those surveyed who did not claim internet connectivity as an issue laid the blame on the retailer's web stores - citing either a lack of optimisation for mobile devices (14.9 percent), failure to complete transaction (12.8 percent) or website crash (9.7 percent). An additional 2.2 percent complained the mobile versions of the web stores did not offer the full range available on the desktop website or in-store.

Over 40 percent revealed to browsing via mobile phone or tablet before making the final purchase via a different device, with almost a quarter of UK consumers claiming they do no think payments are secure when shopping via a mobile device. With only one in eight of UK consumers browsing via a mobile device making a direct purchase whilst shopping on-the-go, this indicates that shoppers are still adapting to mobile shopping.

"There is a call to action. Not only do network providers need to upgrade connectivity for UK consumers, retailers need to provide good quality, free Wi-Fi and ensure that their websites are optimised for mobile devices," commented Guy Chiswick, Managing Director of Webloyalty Northern Europe. "Mobile sites and apps need to be as functional as their desktop sites. Google’s algorithm update earlier this year means that customers are more likely to click through and make purchases from mobile-friendly sites."

"By offering faster, more secure payment routes such as one-click payments, not only would retailers benefit from the additional transactions, but consumers’ confidence in mobile shopping would increase even further.”