Mobile searches for retail offerings have grown by 168% year on year and have driven total retail search volumes at their fastest rate this year in Q3, growing by an impressive 35%, according to the BRC/Google Online Retail Monitor.
The growth of retail search volumes for multi-channel retailers (usually those using stores and the internet) reached 26% in the third quarter of 2011 compared with 71% for pure online retailers.
The number of overseas consumers searching for UK retailers grew by 34% in the third quarter of 2011 compared with the same quarter a year earlier. The number of UK consumers searching for overseas retailers grew by 78% in the second quarter of 2011 compared with the same period a year earlier.
Mobile accounted for 10% of retail searches.
Commenting on the stats Davin Yap, CEO of Transversal, a UK-based web self service and knowledge management company, says: “Clearly these results are promising for online retailers, especially those that have seen opportunities within the mobile channel early. It would seem that all e-retailers need to start thinking about their customers experience via mobile now with Gartner predicting that over 10 per cent of retail sales will be via mobile and the mobile channel having some effect on 25 per cent of all sales by 2015. In such a growth market the little differences to improve customer service can really set a website apart.
“However, they must remember that whatever channel customers find the website through, attracting the traffic is only 50 per cent of the battle. Once on the company website consumers must be able to find relevant information quickly and easily or they’ll become frustrated and move elsewhere.”
