Survey: Brits to spend £4.5B this year to stay top mobile shoppers in Europe

UK shoppers are predicted to purchase £4.5 billion of items this year using mobile devices, making them the leading spenders in Europe for the third year running, according to a market research survey.

The market survey, conducted by Centre for Retail Research for the shopping comparison site Kelkoo, found that UK consumers increased their spending on mobile devices from from £700 million in 2010 to an estimated £4.5 billion in 2012--a growth of 584 per cent in just two years.

According to the Kelkoo study, the UK tops the European smartphone league table with 46 per cent of mobile phone users owning such a device, and also comes in first for mobile spending per person: £192 in 2011. This compares with second-place Norway at £160 per person and third place Sweden with £147, against a European average of £99. At the bottom of the mobile spending rankings per person was Italy (£23), Spain (£43) and Poland (£45).

Additionally, the UK is predicted to lead rankings for proportion of all online spending conducted via mobile devices at 7.9 per cent. Conversely, those in Italy (5.3 per cent), Denmark (5 per cent), France (4.6 per cent) and Poland (4.1 per cent) are expected to spend the smallest proportion of their online budget using their mobiles.

Commenting on this upsurge, Kelkoo CMO Chris Simpson said in a statement: "Over the last two years, shopping on mobile phones has increased exponentially as a result of simple and secure payment systems, better functionality and increased uptake of ‘always on' mobile devices such as iPads and tablets."

For more:
- see this Kelkoo press release

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