Smartphone users boost m-commerce

The number of people in the five biggest European markets using m-commerce sites to order goods via parcel delivery rocketed by 80% over the past year, new figures have shown, reports My Hermes.

A study published by research firm comScore revealed that 13.5 million smartphone users in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK accessed online retail Web sites in the three months to the end of May.

Within that figure, growth in the UK since May 2010 was the highest at 163%.

According to the Retail Gazette: “Over the past year, online retailers enjoyed strong growth in visitation from mobile devices in Europe, largely driven by the acceleration in smartphone ownership,” says Jeremy Copp, European VP for mobile at comScore.

This trend represents both an opportunity and a threat for retailers. While mobile access offers retailers incremental occasions to engage with customers, it also provides customers the ability to easily compare prices at competing retailers while inside a particular retailer's store, writes Inspire SME

“Retailers must get a firm handle on mobile shopping behaviour if they are to effectively navigate this changing environment.”