A significant number of Orange UK customers have given the cold shoulder to the high street scramble, instead choosing to organise their Christmas shopping via the mobile web, Martin Conway reports.
According to the results of a poll conducted by Orange between 29 November and 7 December, 31 per cent of respondents confirmed that they shopped online via their mobiles while watching TV and/or engaged in household activities, with Saturday night emerging as the most popular period for shopping searches. In addition, 18 per cent of customers were likely to indulge in ‘bedtime buying’, while 13 per cent admitted to using their mobiles to secretly shop while at work. Slightly less worrying to bosses everywhere, 11 per cent claimed to get their Christmas shopping out of the way on their commutes between home and work.
Steve Ricketts, head of mobile commerce, Orange, says: “Mobiles are making shopping easier this Christmas, as people can buy presents in secret from their phones – without worrying about being overlooked or found out.” 
During this period, the most searched for retail outlet on Orange World has been Amazon, followed by Argos, eBay, Asda, Tesco, New Look, Next and HMV. And whether UK Orange customers are keen to take their minds off the cold or government cuts, the poll notes a 28 per cent increase in searches for lingerie.
