The smartphone purchasing market is being used by more consumers and on a more frequent basis than ever before. Almost two thirds (62%) of Britons now own a smartphone, with nearly half (49%) of these consumers using the device for online shopping or purchasing. Whilst, at present, many use m-commerce for small purchases, it is likely that the mobile devices will have a significant impact on sales of more premium products and services over the coming years.

This report will examine the purchasing habits of smartphone owners, assessing what consumers are willing to buy through their mobiles and how much they tend to pay for items, products and services.

The analysis looks at why they choose to buy this way and what, if anything, stops them from buying certain goods or services through their mobile phones.

Definition

For the purposes of this report a smartphone is defined as a mobile phone that can access the internet via a web browser and download apps from an online ‘store’, such as Apple’s App Store or Android Marketplace.

Within this report references to m-commerce do not include sales from other portable devices, such as tablets, unless specified.

The term smartphone purchaser refers to those who have purchased at least one product or service through their smartphone over the past 12 months.

The percentage of total consumers refers to those who have accessed the internet given the methodology used for this research.

Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen’s Printer for Scotland.

Abbreviations

EE Everything Everywhere
GB Gigabyte
GDP Gross Domestic Product
GPS Global Positioning System
IAB Internet Advertising Bureau
IMRG Interactive Media in Retail Group
MB Megabyte
MMS Multimedia Messaging Service
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