UK Consumers Using Mobile More Than Ever in Run-up to Christmas
- Monday, December 19th, 2016
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In the run-up to Christmas 2016, average mobile traffic has seen an increase of 26 per cent compared to 2015 year-on-year. Since Black Friday, 68 per cent of all online retail traffic has come through mobile and tablets.
According to research from Salmon, this mirrors Black Friday – where for the first time mobile overtook desktop in orders – with 68 per cent of traffic also coming from mobile and tablets during the period.
“As consumers turn more towards digital solutions to satiate their shopping needs and wants, we fully expect online orders – including mobile – to continue to increase over the festive period,” said Neil Stewart, CEO of Salmon. “We predicted correctly that this would be the first year where mobile overtook desktop during the ‘Black Fiveday’ period and we’re already seeing the same thing happening at Christmas this year.”
The research also showed that, in a survey of 2,000 UK consumers aged 18-64, 57 per cent say they will be ready for programmatic commerce – where connected devices make purchases on the consumers behalf – in the next two years.
53 per cent say technology has made shopping ‘easier and more convenient’ – while 49 per cent say it has ‘made the shopping process faster’. A further 41 per cent say they are now able to shop from stores they cannot visit in person.
Stewart added: “What’s clear for UK shoppers, though, is that they crave convenience and efficiency above all else. For Christmas, shopping online and through mobile especially is a time-saver and means that families can spend more time with each other instead of navigating the busy high street. Retailers must ensure they have strong back-end systems and a fluid supply chain in the run-up to the festive period to cope with the demanding holiday period.”