Smartphone shopping to reach record usage in 2019
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In 2019, and for the first time ever, consumers will be as likely to shop on their smartphones as they would a laptop or desktop, according to research by price comparison and switching service, uSwitch.com.
Shoppers plan to spend £25bn using their smartphones this year, a £10bn rise on 2018. More than 30 million Brits (58%) will use smart devices to shop this year – an increase of 12 million, or 66%, compared to 2018.
The popularity of smartphone and tablet shopping is being driven by convenience, with 66% of shoppers stating that as its main appeal. For 64%, it was the ability to shop at any time, 40% said it was being able to compare prices while 39% claimed it was the superior choice available. Some 36% believed online shopping represented better value.
Clothes are the most popular product bought online (69%), ahead of books (51%), groceries (47%) and theatre or cinema tickets (43%). Amazon was the most popular website for online shopping with 89% of consumers using the retailer; eBay came in second with 63%.
Most popular websites for online shopping
| Website | % of shoppers to have used website last year |
| Amazon | 89% |
| eBay | 63% |
| Argos | 41% |
| Tesco | 35% |
| Marks and Spencer | 25% |
| Asda | 25% |
| Sainsbury’s | 22% |
| John Lewis | 20% |
| Currys PC World | 17% |
Source: uSwitch.com
The convenience and the ‘always on’ nature of smartphone shopping means that no matter where people are, they can spend on their phones. The living room is the preferred location for 78%, 14% shop at work and 8% do so on their daily commute.
Some 6% admitted to shopping on their phone while using the bathroom – with those aged under 35 more than twice as likely to do so (14%). Results showed the bathroom was a more popular place to online shop for younger people than the kitchen (13%).
Ru Bhikha, mobiles expert at uSwitch.com, said: “For so many of us now, our smartphone is an extension of our hand and we have it with us at all times, meaning that we can shop whenever and wherever we like. Our handsets allow us to window shop all the time, and if we see something we like, it is right there at our fingertips.
“With smartphone and tablet shopping now a £25bn industry, it’s hardly surprising that major retailers have long adopted a mobile-first approach to their websites and have even introduced their own apps to make the user experience as easy as possible. Cleaner user journeys and the ease of one-click purchasing will only add to the number of people shopping on their phones and tablets.”
