UK mobile sales grow significantly over the 2013 holiday season
Mobile sales are experiencing explosive growth in the United Kingdom, according to a new report from the British Retail Consortium and KPMG. The report shows that traditional brick and mortar stores, such as Tesco, have experienced lackluster sales over the holiday season of 2013. Physical stores saw fewer customers throughout that time, while online stores, such as Next, experienced a great deal of traffic from consumers using mobile devices. Notably, online merchants managed to take advantage of the hype surrounding mobile commerce and net a greater degree of consumer attention than they had in the past.
Mobile activity is on the rise as consumers favor their smartphones and tablets for shopping online
The report shows that online sales for non-food items rose by a fifth during December. This represents the fastest growth of mobile sales in the UK since March of 2010. Online sales for grocery items grew by 15%, reaching over $1 billion, between the periods of December 20 and December 23. The report suggests that services that allow consumers to purchase products online and collect these products at physical stores have become quite popular. These services may have contributed to the growth of mobile sales during the 2013 holiday season.
Tesco and others report growing degree of mobile traffic
Tesco reports that approximately one third of its online grocery orders were made from a mobile device during December. Other retailers report that traffic to their online storefronts increased significantly over the holidays. Much of this traffic came from mobile devices as consumers sought out special deals and compared prices on products.
Retailers may find a great deal of success in the mobile space throughout 2014
The report from the British Retail Consortium and KPMG suggests that mobile commerce is set to see explosive growth throughout 2014. More retailers are beginning to embrace mobile commerce platforms that are designed to provide consumers with an enjoyable shopping experience. If these retailers can perfect their mobile engagement strategies, they may find a great deal of success in the mobile space when the 2014 holiday season arrives.
