Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) mobile users currently spend an average of 13 days a year browsing retail sites on their mobile devices, compared to just eight days a year for contract customers.

That’s one of the findings of a UK consumer retail survey commissioned by mobile marketing firm Velti and carried out by Vision One Research. Velti says the finding presents a significant opportunity for retailers to incentivize those browsers and convert them into paying customers.

The research also found, however, that high street brands are lagging behind when it comes to mobile retail. 66 per cent of iPhone users and 47 per cent of all consumers surveyed believe that high street retailers are not doing a good enough job where mobile is concerned. When it came to naming three stores consumers had made purchases from in the last 12 months, Amazon and eBay dominated, with a 50 per cent share split evenly between them, whereas Tesco (7 per cent), Argos (4 per cent), HMV (2 per cent), Asda (2 per cent) and Next (1 per cent), all failed to make a significant impact with consumers.

Consumers did, however, reveal how retailers can tempt them to make further purchases. Almost 50 per cent of the consumers who had received a targeted SMS from a retailer or brand then went on to buy something from that retailer.  
The research also revealed how mobile is working in harmony with other media when it comes to marketing and advertising campaigns. 82 per cent of consumers who used their mobile while watching TV researched further details around a product or service on their mobile devices after having seen an advertisement on TV. 

“We commissioned this survey to examine how consumers are using their mobile devices when it comes to retail. While some of the results were reasonably predictable, many others demonstrated just how far consumers are ahead of retailers when it comes to mobile,” says Kelaine Olvera, director of marketing across Europe at Velti. “Pay-As-You-Go users, arguably a demographic often disregarded by retailers, are spending almost two weeks a year browsing retail sites, which is a phenomenal amount of time. It wouldn’t take much further engagement from a retailer’s point of view to convert them from browsers into customers. At Velti, this is exactly the kind of work we’ve been doing with brands across the globe, helping to increase engagement with their existing and potential new customers in order to help drive revenues and brand loyalty.”

Around 1,800 UK mobile users aged 18 – 65 took part in the online survey.