Mobile retail set for phenomenal growth

According to a new report by online shopping service,

Kelkoo, and the Centre for Retail Research, As much as £4.5 billion is expected to be spent in the UK on shopping via mobile phones this year, more than any other European nations according to new research.

Mobile retail is set to grow 53 per cent over the next 12 months after totalling £3 billion in 2011, and is set to represent eight per cent of all online shopping in this country.

Over the space of just a couple of years smartphone ownership and conversely mobile shopping has moved from being almost non-existent to an important channel for any multichannel retail operation, with UK sales via mobiles totalling just £700 million in 2010.

Chris Simpson, Chief Marketing Officer at Kelkoo, said: “Over the last two years, shopping on mobile phones has increased exponentially as a result of simple and secure payment systems, better functionality and increased uptake of ‘always on’ mobile devices such as iPads and tablets.

“The fact that mobile retailing in the UK has grown by a staggering 584 per cent since 2010 alone highlights how UK consumers are going beyond the PC to find the best online prices wherever they are.”