A survey conducted by digital coupon marketplace RetailMeNot, which is also the owner of similar company Vouchercodes.co.uk, has revealed an optimistic picture for the future of mobile commerce in the UK and Europe.
According to the figures collected by RetailMeNot, mobile shopping in the UK will increase by 62% this year, with the channel accounting for £7.9 billion worth of the overall £45 billion spend in digital sales.
In Europe, mobile commerce grew by an extremely impressive 85% this year.
Consumers in the continent are estimated to spend some £19.8 billion on mobile purchases in 2014, an amount almost double what was spent in 2013. The money spent on mobile commerce in Europe accounted for 8% of the overall spend in the digital commerce market, at £10.7 billion of the £111.2 billion in total digital sales. In the last three months, one in five Europeans has used their mobile device to visit an online retailer’s website. In the UK – which is shaping up to be Europe’s most mature market in terms of mobile commerce – 28% of consumers use their smartphones to shop online.
Sceptical Shoppers
Another interesting piece of research conducted within the last few days revealed that even though Britons as a group are eager mobile shoppers, they are also among the most sceptical consumers when it comes to advertising. The study, by the Reputation Institute, surveyed 55,000 people across 15 markets and found that just 15.4% of UK consumers believed brand advertising messages. The only nations that were classed as even more sceptical were the France, Japan and Germany.