Smartphone shopping on the rise

Fashion United.

Department store group Debenhams and fashion retailer French Connection are among the businesses to either unveil or update smartphone apps in recent months.

It is the second study of this nature published by the two organisations, and the latest data indicates that the number of people who have bought goods on their smartphones grew a huge 20% between June 2010 and March 2011.

According Retail Customer Experience, the report looked at the increasing role of mobile in retail commerce and surveyed both smartphone and non-smartphone users.

The results show the continuing shift in consumer behaviour as more and more shoppers are adapting to new technologies, browsing, shopping and interacting with brands while on the go.

“This study reinforces what our previous results have shown; that the dramatic increase in smartphone use is fundamentally affecting consumer behaviour,” says Chris Russell, director at eDigitalResearch.

Consumer expectations have changed as a result of the surge in smartphone sales and the wide availability of m-commerce, states Shopsafe.

For example, many people now presume that they will be able to access a mobile version of a retailer's site and can become disappointed if there is not such a specially adapted space available to them.

Russell believes that the consumers is really in the driving seat, dictating the manner in which retailers provide platforms for purchasing and breaking the restrictive bonds of things like opening times and limited stock that have defined the high street for decades.