It used to be the tills ringing up the sales throughout Christmas but these days it’s more likely to be the clicks of the mobile completing the purchase. Businesses across the UK have to ensure that they’re mobile friendly as that’s the way that large numbers of us prefer to do our shopping.
According to research from CJ Affiliate, nearly a third of all online orders from the UK, France and Germany in the 2016 Christmas period came from mobile phones. And the UK led the way: mobile shopping here amounted to 44% of total online orders, well ahead of 32% in the US and 26% in France.
Jules Bazley, regional vice president in Europe for CJ Affiliate, said “Last year I did more than half of my Christmas shopping on the train, and it’s clear that the rest of the UK is right behind me. I believe that mobile spending will only grow, especially at busy, stressful times like Christmas, when consumers want to do their shopping quickly and conveniently.
Tablet sales fall
The CJ Affiliate report also shows that smartphone sales are rising as tablet spend drops, probably as a result of smartphone screens and resolutions are getting larger – this makes it easier to use for online shopping. The report found that orders made on tablets are on the decline in the US and across Europe, with tablet orders in France down by 40%, US and Germany by over a quarter (26%) and the UK by 19%.
Bazley added, “Retailers put substantial resource and planning in to the Christmas peak, but with the continued shift towards mobile shopping, brands need to continuously evaluate their marketing priorities. Reaching these shoppers is also a fine art – email is still the most successful way of reaching them, and interestingly, we have seen a mild decline in the popularity of search advertising.”
- How to make Christmas shopping less stressful
