It is predicted that by the end of 2015, more than half of the population in the United Kingdom will access the mobile internet. That’s according to a study by eMarketer, which also reports that 18% of the U.K. smartphone user population have purchased goods or services using their mobile devices. In other words, brands need to have a plan in place to connect with mobile shoppers in the U.K., and brands need to make it easy for them to make purchases from their smartphones and tablets.
According to comScore, purchasing goods and services using a smartphone ranked as the second most mentioned activity performed by U.K. smartphone users in a July 2012 study (18%). Coming in first was finding store locations (24%). 16% of survey respondents had compared product prices, researched product features, and made shopping lists using their smartphones. Finding coupons or deals was mentioned by 15% of U.K. smartphone users, and 14% had checked product availability using their smartphones. Interestingly, eMarketer reports that in August 2011, making purchases using smartphones didn’t make it into the top 10 mobile activities for U.K. smartphone owners.
As you develop your brand’s mobile presence, keep the following in mind:
- The U.K. mobile shopper audience still skews male (55%).
- The U.K. mobile shopper audience skews middle income (more than half of mobile shoppers reported incomes between $24,193 and $72,850).
- Over half of mobile shoppers in the U.K. are between the ages of 25-44 (29% between 25-34 and 23% between 35-44) with another 19% falling in the 18-24 age bracket.
- Nearly 50% of mobile purchases cost between $33 and $161.
Now is the time to start researching your brand’s mobile audience to gain a better understanding of how you can offer mobile brand experiences that turn into mobile brand purchases. The move toward m-commerce from e-commerce isn’t going to slow down, and your brand needs to be mobile sooner rather than later.
Image: Sean MacEntee
Susan Gunelius is the author of 10 marketing, social media, branding, copywriting, and technology books, and she is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She also owns Women on Business, an award-wining blog for business women. She is a featured columnist for Entrepreneur.com and Forbes.com, and her marketing-related articles have appeared on websites such as MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, TodayShow.com, and more.
She has over 20 years of experience in the marketing field having spent the first decade of her career directing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. Today, her clients include large and small companies around the world and household brands like Citigroup, Cox Communications, Intuit, and more. Susan is frequently interviewed about marketing and branding by television, radio, print, and online media organizations, and she speaks about these topics at events around the world. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.
