Consumers Using Mobiles For Price Comparison

Permalink: Consumers Using Mobiles For Price Comparison by Alan Harten

High Street retailers need to be ready to face a new threat to their business as more consumers move towards shopping with the help of mobile devices. Broadband Anywhere BT ToGo smartphone commissioned research to try to discover what people have been actually doing with their internet enabled mobile devices when they are on the move.

The results showed that 45% browsed for goods or services, 33% either did comparisons of the prices of goods, or looked for reviews of items or services. 33% said that the mobile devices had helped them to make more informed decisions about what to buy and 20% had made a purchase online in the last three months

It seems that the art of serious shopping has not died as most people want to be in a position to see and actually touch many items they are considering buying, in particular personalised items such as clothing and big ticket items.

The change that mobile devices are bringing about is that these people want to compare the cost of the item while they are out shopping. Or look up a review to see if the plasma TV is as good as the salesman said it is.

“Broadband on the move is bringing about a change in consumer behaviour,” said BT Futurologist Ian Neild. “Consumers can now do the things they would normally do at home when they are out and about. The ease with which they can go online to sites like Pricerunner or TripAdvisor to inform their buying decisions puts added pressure on high-street retailers to offer the best prices and the product ranges that people want.

“The days of the internet being something for the home are over. For a growing number of savvy shoppers, the online and in-store worlds have now merged. Retailers should take advantage of the fact that customers may now have access to the Internet whilst in-store and, for example, use their wifi connections to deliver expert advice via a store intranet channel.”

This new ability to check prices or read a review while actually still in the store or over a coffee across the street is giving buyers more power over their choices, they are now able to see what experts or other members of the public think about an item before handing over the cash.

The research also says that many big name retailers are simply not keeping up with the new demands of mobile users. When asked to name the most important feature of sites viewed from a mobile device 20% wanted a site designed specifically for mobile use. 39 % wanted a site that is easy to navigate, while 25% wanted a fast loading site.

Some of the researches’ other key points were that 20% of consumers think they now spend less time surfing the internet at work because the surfing they used to do in the office they now do on the move. Respondents on average spend two and a half hours each week accessing the internet while out and about.

The most popular types of websites visited were,
Search sites (71%)
News (66%)
Travel and transport (45%)
Entertainment (42%)
Sport (37%)
Price comparison accounted for a massive 22% of most popular mobile web site visits
34% agreed that their mobile device has improved their social life because it makes it easier to stay in touch.