Only four per cent of consumers prefer to shop using mobile apps on their smartphones or tablets, according to a report from Zmags, while 14 percent prefer to shop via mobile websites. Nine per cent of respondents chose shopping on Tablets. At 87 per cent, PCs and laptops are still overwhelmingly the most popular method for shopping online.

The survey found that 87 per cent of Tablet owners used the device for Christmas shopping, spending an average of $325 (£212). Additionally, more than half of owners browse or shop on their Tablets at least weekly. Those shopping for electronics, at 53 per cent, are most likely to prefer using a Tablet.

“The study clearly demonstrates that mobile and Tablet apps, on their own, are just not meeting connected consumers’ browsing and purchasing needs in an increasingly complex retail landscape – and that browser-based commerce is their preference,” says W. Sean Ford, COO and CMO of Zmags. “For retailers and brands, there is enormous opportunity to capitalise on this complexity by designing engaging and consistent browser-based shopping experiences optimized for each device.” 

The full Meet the Connected Consumer report – based on a survey of 1,500 computer, smartphone and Tablet owners – can be downloaded here.