Debenhams tops Mobile Commerce study

Debenhams has ousted Argos from the top spot in the latest Episerver UK Mobile Commerce study, a report rating consumer attitudes to mobile shopping. The study scored the mobile websites and apps of the UK’s top 30 retailers, as selected

 from the IMRG Experian Hitwise Hot Shops list, and rated them against a best practice benchmark informed by research into current consumer attitudes to mobile usage and experience.

The department store received the top benchmark score of 90 percent, beating off Argos to the top spot, although the catalogue merchant did still perform well with a score of 85 percent to place it in joint second place with Expedia. Debenhams scored highly across all criteria’s, but its iPad and Android apps received top marks.

Debenhams topples Argos in mobile shopping report

There were also a number of other fashion retailers named within the top ten performing retailers including e-tailer Asos, which scored 72 percent taking sixth spot, while department store John Lewis and Topshop both ranked seventh with a score of 71 percent.

Other retailers including Tesco, Amazon UK and Asda, which also offer fashion were named in the report for their high standards, both Tesco and Amazon scored 80 percent, while Asda were ranked with a benchmark of 68 percent.

In a survey of 1,000 consumers, the report rated each retailer’s mobile offering across a wide range of criteria’s spanning the speed, key functionality and the ease of use of their mobile sites, apps and tablet offerings.

Over half, 55 percent of the retailers surveyed were found to have improved their digital practice, up from 8 percent on 2011, suggesting that retailers are now realising the increasing importance of their mobile offering.  

One significant improvement over the last study is in the number of retailers offering an optimised mobile site experience, revealing the increasing focus on mobile sites over apps only. In 2011, 30 percent of the top 10 didn’t have mobile sites, now, only 17 percent of the top 30 do not.

David Bowen, product manager at EPiServer, said: "It is clear that over the last two years retailers have strived to grasp the mobile opportunity.

“Top performer Debenhams in particular is a great example of how having a solution for each platform and offering a contextualised mobile experience across each is the winning formula for delivering a premium customer experience, and ultimately increasing conversions and sales."