Warc, 5 May 2014
LONDON: The increasing adoption of high-speed 4G technology
in the UK, and the higher levels of engagement the technology has encouraged
among users, is set to lead to more consumers shopping and browsing on the
move.
According to a survey of 2,000 British consumers from
eDigitalResearch and IMRG, the e-retail industry body, 4G users are already
more likely to buy more items from their smartphones than users of previous
generations of mobile technology.
Over two-thirds (68%) of 4G users said that faster access to
the internet encouraged them to make more purchases via their smartphones and
over half (54%) have shopped online compared to only 32% of non-4G smartphone
users.
4G technology also encouraged users to research and browse
to a greater extent, the survey found, with over two-thirds (70%) using their
mobile devices to browse online compared to under half (48%) of non-4G users.
Furthermore, just under one-third (31%) of all respondents
said they believed 4G had more advantages than disadvantages, which rose to
over two-thirds (69%) among those who had used the technology before.
"These results demonstrate that the technology is
likely to have a real impact on our shopping and browsing habits as UK networks
charge ahead with their planned roll out to more locations and more
users," said Derek Eccleston, commercial director at eDigitalResearch.
"Mobile is likely to become even more pivotal for
retailers with more of us shopping and browsing from our smartphones, both
inside the home and out and about," he added.
In other findings from the report noted by Essential Retail,
over three-quarters (77%) of 4G users have accessed the internet from their
devices when shopping, compared to 53% of 3G smartphone users.
Also, nearly two-thirds (62%) of 4G users have used a
barcode scanner to check if they can find a cheaper product elsewhere, compared
to just 20% of 3G users.
With a third of UK e-retail sales now coming via smartphones
and tablets, Tina Spooner, chief information officer at IMRG, concluded that
mobile has become "an integral part of the online shopping journey"
and forecast that the trend will continue in future.
Data sourced from eDigitalResearch, Essential Retail;
additional content by Warc staff
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