--- description: This article will take a look at the sentiments of UK customers regarding mobile purchases along with their preferences and the challenges faced by them. image: https://gdm-localsites-assets-gfprod.imgix.net/images/software_advice/og_logo-55146305bbe7b450bea05c18e9be9c9a.png title: M-Commerce: 80% use smartphones to make mobile purchases --- # M-Commerce: 80% use smartphones to make mobile purchases Canonical: https://www.softwareadvice.co.uk/blog/3640/mcommerce-usage-uk Published on 09/05/2023 | Written by Sukanya Awasthi. ![M-Commerce: 80% use smartphones to make mobile purchases](https://images.ctfassets.net/63bmaubptoky/43gqsYeGlQxHutVfb009eE/239ab17baf4b38476ab77bfc89f6a2eb/Mobile_commerce-UK-SA-header__1_.png) > How do consumers in the UK feel about mobile purchases? Which device do they prefer the most to shop online? Which channel do users prefer to shop online on via their mobiles? Read along to find answers to these and more such questions.   ----- ## Article Content How do consumers in the UK feel about mobile purchases? Which device do they prefer the most to shop online? Which channel do users prefer to shop online on via their mobiles? Read along to find answers to these and more such questions.  In this articleHow is the shopping behaviour of users online?80% use smartphones to make mobile purchasesMajority make mobile purchases for ease of accessWhich channels are preferred to shop online on mobile?39% sometimes use client accounts during mobile purchasesWhat do we know so far?The use of smartphones to shop online is on the rise. According to a report by Statista, ‘during the fourth quarter of 2022, smartphones accounted for 74% of retail site visits in the United Kingdom and were used to make 63% of online shopping orders’. This may be beneficial not just for consumers who are able to shop on-the-go, but could, in turn, also help businesses to expand and engage with the right set of customers. In light of the growing popularity of the mobile shopping experience, Software Advice conducted research to test consumer sentiment around the use of mobile devices for online purchases. The study was conducted through an online survey of 1,013 participants residing in the UK. The full methodology can be found at the bottom of the article. What is M-Commerce?Mobile commerce, or m-commerce, is a sub-category of eCommerce involving the use of handheld devices like smartphones and tablets to make online purchases. This can include transactions done for the purpose of shopping, selling, banking, or payments. M-commerce gives customers the option to choose from a variety of product alternatives and payment methods, and it gives businesses a chance to expand their reach and digital footprint. How is the shopping behaviour of users online? When we asked users how they choose to shop online when it comes to electronic devices, 53% said that they go mobile first, followed by 29% stating that they choose a mix of mobile and desktop, and 17% go for desktop first. Lastly, 2% said that they don’t know. How often do users use digital devices to shop online? In order to gauge the preferences of respondents on the digital devices they use to shop online, we asked them the following question and recorded these answers:Which mobile wallet do users mainly use? When we asked users which mobile wallet app they mainly use when making a purchase via mobile, as many as 28% of the respondents stated that they don't use any mobile wallet apps. This is followed by 27% of the respondents choosing Apple Pay. Another 15% stated that they use Google Pay, and 12% chose PayPal One Touch, among other answers. 40% use debit cards to shop online When we asked users which payment method they prefer when shopping online, 40% said they use debit cards, followed by 28% responding with PayPal. This is followed by 23% stating that they prefer credit cards, and 8% responding with mobile wallets, among other answers.80% use smartphones to make mobile purchases When we asked respondents which device they mainly use when making mobile purchases, as many as 80% said they use a smartphone.Why do some users prefer not to make mobile purchases? When we asked those respondents who stated that they do not make mobile purchases their reasons behind doing so, 63% said that they're used to making purchases on the computer. 34% said that it's more difficult to input purchase details (e.g., name, address, payment info, etc.), 25% said that they could not visualise what they're purchasing properly, 18% stated that it is not safe, and 16% stated that it's not easy to perform comparisons. Another 16% said it takes longer to find the product/service they are looking for, among other responses.How can m-commerce help businesses to grow?Mobile may probably be one of the best channels for companies to target and acquire customers. Businesses looking to cater to a large/more global consumer base may look towards creating mobile-friendly websites and applications to make both the customer journey and interaction a more pleasant experience. The data and information collected from a customer at the time of sign-up can help businesses to send more personalised communication to the users, thereby increasing their chances of a potential purchase in exchange for offering them easier access to the desirable items in their feed or notifications. This can also help businesses to open omnichannel communication channels with customers via emails, SMS, push notifications etc. Majority make mobile purchases for ease of access When we asked those respondents who make mobile purchases why they do so, 64% said that it is the ease of access that is appealing to them, followed by 57% stating that they can use their device to shop at any moment. 43% responded with fast transactions as their reason, and 21% said it is the mobile apps user experience, among other answers.What difficulties do users face when purchasing via mobile? When we asked those respondents who make mobile purchases about the difficulties they face while making purchases, the following responses were collected:29% said they have security concernsThis is followed by 26% citing internet connectivity issues as the reason24% responded with a slow web loading time23% said they have difficulty visualising the product they are buying20% stated that they face difficulties with sites not being responsiveMoreover, 19% said that there are too many distractions (e.g., app notifications, messages, etc.)12% said that it’s a lack of connection between the store website, mobile, and physical store11% stated that they have difficulty in finding a product or product category10% said that it is bad customer support, among other answersHow can stores improve the mobile shopping experience? When we asked those respondents who make mobile purchases how they think stores could improve the mobile shopping experience, 27% said they could do so by simplifying purchase steps. This may result in creating an improved experience for the customers. Businesses may also take steps such as personalisation of products/services, encouraging honest customer feedback, and deployment of chatbots to further enhance the customer’s experience with their product or brand.Which channels are preferred to shop online on mobile? When we asked those respondents who make mobile purchases which channels they prefer to use to shop online, 28% said that they use marketplace websites (e.g. Amazon, AliExpress), followed by 24% saying that they prefer to shop directly on the company's website and marketplace apps (e.g. Amazon, AliExpress) each. Additionally, 10% said that they prefer to shop directly on the company's mobile app, and 9% said that they don't have any preference, among other answers. 61% use mobile phones to purchase clothes When we asked those respondents who make mobile purchases about which products/services they usually purchase with their mobile, 61% said that they buy clothes, followed by 50% saying they buy food \& drinks (e.g., groceries, prepared food, etc.). 42% responded with travel and leisure/entertainment tickets (e.g., music show, museum, etc.) each. This is followed by 40% saying that they purchase electronics and shoes each, 39% responded with books, 37% chose beauty \& wellness products, 32% picked accessories (e.g., hats, sunglasses, etc.), and 26% responded with beauty \& wellness appointments (e.g., hairdresser, medical appointment, etc.), among other answers.39% sometimes use client accounts during mobile purchases When we asked those respondents who make mobile purchases how often, if available, they set up a client account and we got the following responses:How can businesses tempt customers to create client accounts?Client accounts can be a great way for businesses not just to collect consumer data but also use that data to send more personalised and targeted communication to consumers. Below are some of the ways in which businesses can tempt customers to create client accounts:Offering discounts and promotional offers: this can possibly attract customers to the website and encourage them to create customer accounts in order to avail these discounts. Sign-up forms during checkout: strategically placed sign-up forms can tempt users to create accounts. Such forms placed during the checkout step may further increase chances of sign-ups.45% sometimes use one-click ordering during mobile purchases When we asked those respondents who make mobile purchases how often, if available, do they set up and use one-click ordering when making purchases with their mobile (i.e., when they have already entered their payment information previously so that they can make their purchase with just one click), 45% said that they do so sometimes. This is followed by 30% stating rarely, 14% stating never, and 11% responding with often.What do we know so far?Our data indicates that mobile phones are the preferred choice of device to shop online. With easy access to smartphones and increasing internet penetration across various parts of the globe, the opportunity for businesses to take their business digital and make it more mobile-shopping friendly could also be higher. This can help them not only to digitalise but also to tap into a market used by people of almost all generations. It would be interesting to see how m-commerce evolves in the future and whether the consumer sentiment around it changes.The growing demand for eCommerce has led to it taking various forms and shapes, one of which is m-commerce, which was discussed in detail in this article. In the second part of this series, we will look at another subset of eCommerce called quick commerce or q-commerce. Looking for eCommerce software? Check out our catalogue\! ## Disclaimer > Methodology: The 2023 Q-Commerce and M-Commerce Survey was launched by Software Advice between 27 January 2023 and 2 February 2023. It was undertaken by 1,013 participants from different parts of the UK. The criteria for selecting the participants are as follows:A resident of the United KingdomAbove 18 years of ageShop online at least once per monthDo not belong to the silent generation (people born before 1946) ## About the author ### Sukanya Awasthi Sukanya is a Content Analyst for the UK and India market. Committed to offering insights on technology, emerging trends and software suggestions to SMEs. Café hopper and a dog mom. ## Related Categories - [Order Management Software](https://www.softwareadvice.co.uk/directory/1730/order-management-system/software) - [Retail Management Software](https://www.softwareadvice.co.uk/directory/2025/retail-management/software) - [Shopping Cart Software](https://www.softwareadvice.co.uk/directory/3953/shopping-cart/software) ## Related Articles - [43% shared mobility users find shared mobility services better than public transportation](https://www.softwareadvice.co.uk/blog/3417/shared-mobility-services-uk) - [Brand storytelling for SMEs: What you need to know](https://www.softwareadvice.co.uk/blog/2525/brand-storytelling-for-smes) - [Some sharing economy practices ahead of traditional in the UK](https://www.softwareadvice.co.uk/blog/3376/sharing-economy-uk) - [6 useful inventory management techniques for small businesses](https://www.softwareadvice.co.uk/blog/3288/inventory-management-techniques) - [15 Marketing statistics for 2022 in the UK](https://www.softwareadvice.co.uk/blog/2853/top-marketing-statistics) ## Links - [View on SoftwareAdvice](https://www.softwareadvice.co.uk/blog/3640/mcommerce-usage-uk) - [Blog](https://www.softwareadvice.co.uk/blog) - [Home](https://www.softwareadvice.co.uk/) ----- ## Structured Data