UK Brands Lag Behind Consumers In M-commerce

We’ve all been hearing lately about the surge in m-commerce across the UK but a new survey published this morning suggests that while UK consumers have shown signs of embracing the technology wholeheartedly, brands may not be reacting fast enough to keep up.

A recent poll from digital communications firm EpiServer, which interviewed 1,000 consumers and 200 marketing executives, shows a gap between consumers’ and brand owners’ attitude towards m-commerce.

Overall, close to 60% of those polled own a smartphone and one in six have a tablet. Nearly three-quarters of those who have a mobile device have used it to gain online access and two in three have used an app over the past 12 months.

In comparison, just one in five marketing executives have a website specifically designed for mobile devices, while an even more modest 18% have developed a mobile app. Moreover, just one in ten polled executives have plans to develop mobile-friendly functionalities. Still, brands are clearly seeing the need from mobile platforms as three-quarters of those surveyed have long-term plans to optimise their websites for m-commerce.

More generally, the survey reveals that more than half of mobile device owners spend more time online and a quarter of them think that they are likely to further increase the frequency of using mobile Internet. For nearly one in three, mobile is their main channel to get online.