Mobile commerce sales to double by 2013

Whilst online sales are set to double in coming years, mobile shopping still remains an untapped resource, according to a report released today.

The study, conducted by Ovum and Verdict Research, claimed online purchases will rise by more than twice their current revenue, reaching 275 million by 2013.

The research firms also claimed only 2.1 per cent of 28 per cent of UK adults with mobile internet access currently shopped online through their handsets.

Christine Bardwell, senior retail technology analyst at Ovum, said retailers will have to either be pioneers in the market to meet consumer needs, or wait and risk falling behind the curve.

She said in a statement: "The opportunities are there for the most proficient multichannel retailers to claim a share of the growing cross-channel expenditure by exploiting the possibilities provided by mobiles to seamlessly link the online and in-store environments."

Another finding from Verdict's consumer research showed 11.5 per cent of all UK shoppers used mobiles to research before they shopped.

Malcom Pinkerton, senior analyst at Verdict Research, said true mobile commerce (m-commerce) potential is to give consumers tools for research, comparison shopping and retailer interaction.

The UK m-commerce market was worth only 122 million in 2009 versus 21.2 billion for total e-commerce, the report said.

However, Verdict and Ovum said although m-commerce will not be a significant channel by 2013, its effectiveness in marketing and consumer interaction will have increased considerably, leading to a large sales growth across all channels.

"If correctly implemented, m-commerce will not only ensure the needs of tomorrow's shoppers are met today, but also that growth is maximised across all channels," concluded Pinkerton.