New research from eDigitalResearch and Portaltech shows that almost half (48.2 per cent) of smartphone users have now shopped online on their mobile, increasing by 13 per cent in just nine months.

The study, which looked into the multichannel browsing and shopping habits of UK consumers, found that smartphone users are shopping less and less in store, with high street visits dropping to 56.6 per cent from 72.7 per cent, as consumers adapt to the most convenient and useful channel for browsing and purchasing needs. The results confirm the rapid pace at which the mobile market is developing, and for retailers, cements the importance of creating coherent multichannel strategies for consumers.

“The dramatic increase in smartphone use is fundamentally affecting consumer behaviour,” says eDigitalResearch director, Chris Russell. “We are entering into an age of MEcommerce; a shopping revolution where the consumer now has the power to dictate to retailers where, when and how they want to shop. These results clearly show that smartphone owners have already increased the use of phones for researching and browsing products at home, out and about and in store too, and will no doubt continue into the future.”

The company says the research demonstrates to retailers the importance of developing both a mobile website and an app, as shopping and browsing across both platforms has increased, with 30 per cent of smartphone users browsing mobile websites on a regular basis.

“Mobile presents a huge opportunity for brands, and there is no doubt that this major shift in consumer behaviour will continue to develop over the forthcoming months and years,” adds Russell. “These latest results indicate that an incredible 46 per cent of smartphone users expect to increase the amount of browsing and shopping they do via their device in the not so distant future.”

You can download a copy of the full results and a whitepaper on completion of a short survey here.