Nine per cent of people who used a PC to do their Christmas shopping last year will use their smartphones in 2012. The research from bss digital reveals that these changes in purchasing behaviour will impact businesses that do not have mobile-ready sites.

Retailers whose target customers are 18-34s-year-old, and those who want to reach shoppers in the Capital, could stand to lose the most.

19 per cent of younger consumers will turn away from their PC in favour of smartphones to buy gifts this year. 16 per cent of Londoners, the highest in the UK, who said they used their PC last year will be using their phone to shop.

According to the survey, conducted with Opinium, 24 per cent of people in London will be using their smartphone along with other ways of shopping this Christmas. 22 per cent said the same in Scotland, along with 20 per cent in the South West, 19 per cent in the South East and 18 per cent in Wales. People in the North West of England are the least likely to buy anything on the internet.

“Our survey found that nearly 10 million people use a smartphone or tablet computer to do their Christmas shopping In todays tough commercial climate, what company can afford to miss out on even a fraction of that business?” said James Southgate, client services director at bss digital.

“But thats exactly what some businesses are doing by not having websites which are mobile friendly. If a website is not compatible on a handset, a competitor is just a click away.”