Smartphones Heralding New Era of Smart Shopping

July 20, 2010 - PRLog -- Three years after the launch of the first iPhone®, “mobile connectivity” is profoundly shaking up the way consumers shop, according to new research from PriceGrabber.co.uk®.

This is occurring not just online, but in stores too, as a growing army of “smart shoppers” are arriving in stores equipped with Internet-enabled Smartphones.

Whilst these devices might be small, they still have the capacity to spend big — with the research finding that 20 percent of shoppers who make purchases from their mobiles have spent more than £100 on mobile phone shopping sprees in the last three months.

Of the 908 online shoppers who were asked about their mobile shopping habits, 66 percent owned a Smartphone or another Web-enabled phone. Of the consumers who shop from their mobile, nearly half (48 percent) claim that the convenience of having the Internet with them wherever they go is their number one reason for smart shopping.

PriceGrabber.co.uk’s research found that of the consumers who own a Web-enabled mobile phone …
•   24 percent compare or check prices from their mobile phone
•   22 percent research product details and specifications from their mobile phone
•   16 percent purchase online from their mobile phone
•   9 percent check product availability
•   5 percent access online discount vouchers

When it comes to most popular mobile purchases, research revealed that of the consumers who purchase online from their mobile phone…
•   59 percent purchase digital content for mobiles (ringtones, Apps and music/video clips)
•   52 percent purchase consumer electronics, such as GPS, MP3 players and digital cameras
•   45 percent purchase computers, laptops and peripherals
•   45 percent purchase books
•   33 percent purchase clothing

“Smart shopping is one of the most exciting developments in retail — as it enables customers to literally take the Internet into the store with them,” commented Justin Sedgmond, business director at PriceGrabber.co.uk. “Shoppers now use multiple channels to engage with retailers. The winning retailers will be those that have put themselves in a position to respond appropriately to consumers on every platform they wish to engage.”

Further information from Lisa Balliache, The PR Network
Tel: 07768 264132 / lisa.balliache@theprnetwork.co.uk