Smartphones drive retail search growth

The volume of smartphone searches for UK retail items has increased by 26 percent in the second quarter of 2017, compared with the same period a year ago, according to the latest figures from the British Retail Consortium-Google Online Retail Monitor.

Across all devices UK search volumes maintained year-on-year growth of 7 percent in the period.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “The growth of UK retail searches online in the second quarter of 2017 remains unchanged on the previous year, although smartphones are increasingly becoming the dominant device for online browsing and therefore the main contributor to this growth.

“The increase in mobile search volumes over this period is consistent with the upward trend in online non-food sales growth.”

Beauty was the most searched for sector by overseas consumers on mobile devices, reporting growth of 42 percent in the second quarter of 2017, while apparel remained a popular sector for international shoppers, increasing 38 percent, compared with the same quarter a year ago.

Dickinson added: "At home, the top trending searches by UK consumers were prompted by seasonal events and occasions. Beauty brands, in particular, continue to attract interest from overseas as well as UK consumers, which put the category firmly at the top of the growth rankings.

“It would appear that this could have translated to some extent into product sales, as health and beauty products ranked second highest in online sector performance over the three-month period.”

Estonia continued to demonstrate the strongest appetite for UK retailers, reporting a 77 percent growth on mobile devices in the period compared with the same quarter in 2016.

Martijn Bertisen, retail director at Google added: “An unseasonably warm second quarter saw consumers increasingly searching from their smartphones whilst out and about. Retail-related smartphone searches in the UK grew 19 percent YoY. Overseas shoppers - from within the EU and beyond - continue to show increasing interest UK brands. In particular beauty and fashion brands are benefiting from an increase in consumer interest.

“As consumer shopping journeys increasingly involve multiple touchpoints across digital and non-digital channels, we have seen UK retailers respond by protecting always-on presence across digital channels, and seriously invest in omnichannel measurement.”