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Shopping on mobiles now accounts for one quarter of all spending – at the expense of stores

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Just 43% of consumer spending now happens in stores, with online – in all its forms – accounting for half. Mobile alone makes up a quarter of the total, accounting for half of online spend.

According to new research by Mastercard, of the 57% of volumes spent online, almost half of this (27%) is made up by spending on mobile devices, according to data from a pan-European survey of more than 18,000 people.

The shift to online commerce correlates with Mastercard’s own spending tracker: online shopping will see the strongest sales growth of the holiday season, up 11.1% year-on-year according to Mastercard SpendingPulse.

Janne Karppinen, Head of Retail at Mastercard UK, explains: “Technology will have an increasingly important role in helping retailers woo shoppers back to the high street. The most successful stores are always gearing themselves around the overall shopping experience. These shops are becoming places to interact and personalise products rather than simply a place to buy things. We expect to see this trend to grow as smaller retailers realise they can offer something the online world can’t.”  

The most popular products being purchased through m-commerce are clothes and accessories, with just over half of British adults having bought them (55%). Food and beverage is the next most popular category, with 45% of UK shoppers having made a mobile purchase – the highest in Europe.

80% of British shoppers have made a mobile purchase from the comfort of their sofa, but as many as 6% have made a purchase while they are in the bath.

The research futher cements studies out last week that show that consumers crave a better, more internet like experience in store, according to research by Divido. Its study of more than 2000 UK consumers revealed that just 7% of Brits browse exclusively in-store before making a high-value purchase (identified as costing over £250) – putting pressure on the value of bricks and mortar stores in the UK.

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