Beauty brands have always been aware of the increasing influence of mobile technology in consumer awareness and purchasing, however, a recent survey has discovered just how big that influence is. The survey, conducted by the UK’s industry association for e-retail Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG), found one in three of all UK online sales are now made on a mobile device. The study found that visits to e-retail websites via mobile devices now account for 45 per cent of UK online traffic, with m-retail accounting for 32 per cent of UK online sales in the fourth quarter of 2013, an increase of 18 per cent from Q3 2013. One in ten retailers expect more than 50 per cent of their online sales to come from a smartphone or tablet device by the end of the year, according to the survey. With an increasing number of consumers now using their mobile devices to browse and compare products while in-store, it is no surprise that mobile has become an integral part of retailers’ multichannel strategies,” says IMRG chief information officer Tina Spooner.
"With mobile and tablets now accounting for almost four in 10 visits to e-retail websites and 27 per cent of the UK online retail market, we expect growth to continue throughout 2014. M-retail is set to account for 30 per cent of online sales during Q1 2014."
