24 per cent of British online adults will use their mobile phones to check product reviews and details while shopping in store in a year’s time, and 42 per cent of shoppers prefer to receive offers while they are shopping, rather than afterwards.

The figures come from an annual survey on the state of customer loyalty amongst Britons, carried out by Ipsos Mori and The Logic Group. The study also reveals that customers’ attitudes toward the use of technology in driving loyalty are changing. In the past six months, 13 per cent of adults have received loyalty scheme offers via their mobile phones, with a further 7 per cent expecting to receive offers via their mobile in the next 12 months. 

To date, Britain has seen sluggish uptake in mobile payments usage, with only 7 per cent of adults having used their mobile phones for payment in the past six months. However, looking forward, there are high expectations amongst customers, with 17 per cent expecting to have paid for goods using their mobile in a year’s time. This same number also expects to use their phone in place of a loyalty card in the same period.

The research also shows the growing importance of social media as a medium to drive loyalty through increased customer interactions. While Facebook looks set to remain the dominant social media channel in the coming year, it is Twitter that will experience the largest growth in people using it to show their loyalty. In the last six months, 22 per cent of Brits have visited the Facebook site of a company they are loyal to. In comparison, only 8 per cent have followed a company they feel loyal to on Twitter. 9 per cent of adults in Britain have received a loyalty offer via a social networking site in the same period.

“The technological changes we are seeing in society today are bringing real benefits to customers’ interactions with loyalty programmes,” says Antony Jones, CEO of The Logic Group. “As such, consumers are no longer only interested in reaping the benefits from traditional card-based programmes, but are looking to alternatives such as social media and real-time discounting to stay loyal.”