A study by US marketing company Motricity has found that the most expensive item the average mobile shopper has bought on their device cost $274 (around £173). 

According to the research, which was conducted for Motricity by Wakefield Research, men lead the big-ticket purchases drive – the average price of their most expensive mobile purchase was $312, as opposed to $222 for women. 

The study also found that 70 per cent of mobile shoppers made more purchases via their device in 2011 than they did in 2010, and that 25-44 year olds are nearly twice as likely to feel that shopping from a mobile device is more convenient than those aged 18-24 (42 per cent versus 23 per cent). 

However, for the under 30s, the smartphone has become more important than the computer, with 55 per cent in the age group saying theyd rather give up their PC for six months than they would their phone. 

32 per cent of mobile shoppers said they had concerns about security, while 31 per cent said slow or unreliable internet connections were the biggest barrier to their mobile shopping. 

The study polled 403 adult Americans, between 8-14 November. The survey was carried out via an email invitation to an online survey.