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UK shoppers set to spend £27bn via mobile devices in 2017: study

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UK shoppers will spend £67bn online in 2017, of which £27bn will be via mobile devices, according to new research.

Spending over mobile will be 26% ahead of 2016, as UK shoppers spend more over their smartphones than any other European market.

Centre for Retail Research (CRR) analysis, produced for VoucherCodes.co.uk, found that 71.5% of the British population is now an online shopper. On average, each is forecast to spend £1,428.39 online in 2017. That’s a third more than the European average of £1,003.54.

In all, UK shoppers will be behind 29% of Europe’s total online spending.

While UK shoppers will spend a collective £27bn over mobile devices, German shoppers will spend £24.5bn, and French shoppers £11.5bn. In response, the centre expects that the number of UK people who shop via mobile devices will rise sharply in 2017, from 23m in 2016 and 28m in 2017, as more retailers move to a mobile-first strategy.

By the end of 2017 , the CRR suggests, some 27.9% of European online sales, and 40.1% of UK ecommerce sales, will take place via mobile. The analysis puts this down to growing consumer trust around shopping via mobile, coupled with investments made by retailers to improve their user experience on smartphones and tablets.

The growth of mobile payment technologies, such as ApplePay, has helped foster this move by underlining the importance of mobile across all retail touchpoints. Research from VoucherCodes.co.uk and YouGov last year also found that Brits are now spending 8.6% of their disposable income using mobile payment devices.

The value of mobile payment transactions is also on the rise, with the average payment made using a mobile device increasing by 9.2% since 2015, compared to an increase of just 2.4% across Europe, as Brits look to make bigger purchases on their mobile or tablet devices. The research found that the average value of mobile transactions in the UK was £51 in 2016, a figure that is predicted to rise to £55 over the next 12 months. In Europe, the average transaction value was just £44 in 2016, set to rise to £45 in 2017.

Claire Davenport, managing director at VoucherCodes.co.uk, said: “These latest figures confirm the increasing significance of mobile to both retailers and consumers, which is now the main driver for the continued growth of the online retail sector.

“This year, 40 pence of every pound spent online will come from a mobile transaction, a reality that retailers simply cannot ignore.

“To remain competitive and respond to customer demands, it is more vital than ever for UK retailers to evolve their mobile offering. This can be done by providing an optimised and mobile-friendly online shopping experience, developing truly seamless customer experiences across all channels, and harnessing the power of targeted mobile marketing to drive footfall.

“As a nation, we are embracing mobile spending far more than our European counterparts – proving that the UK’s consumers and retailers are very open to digital innovation in retail.”

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