UK consumers currently spend approximately 1 hour 20 minutes considering, researching and buying non-basic items, such as fashion, items for their homes and gardens and electronics. According to research conducted by Conlumino for eBay, this time will increase to around 2 hours 30 minutes by 2014. 

That might seem strange with the increasing influence of mCommerce – with many people – but eBay reckons that new technology, like Augmented Reality and Location-Based Services, actually has the effect of lengthening the shopping process, as customers can spend longer considering product prices and information, or accessing virtual views of products.

“What might be surprising to some people is that rather than speeding up the time it takes to shop, the smartphone boom is resulting in consumers spending more time shopping – interacting with brands, browsing for items and researching the best deals,” said Olivier Ropars, senior director of mobile at eBay. “Smart retailers who consider the improved functionality of new smartphones and integrate this as part of a multi-channel retail strategy will be best placed to gain from the opportunities mobile and new technologies present.”

Last month, eBay revised its forecast of global transactions through mobile from $8bn to $10bn in 2012.