BRC figures show the impact of mCommerce

Dan Wagner, Founder and CEO, Powa Technologies, commented: “The research from the BRC (British Retail Consortium) shows a clear and expected increase of the smartphone as a purchasing platform. It is promising to see that international shoppers are a big part of this, with many browsing for UK brands on their mobile device. According to Google and the BRC, beauty and apparel enjoyed the biggest rise of search volumes on mobile devices, between 41 and 51% for the final quarter of 2015. This makes it clear that mCommerce is continuing its expansion and is a platform that consumers want. Further research from Google explains that over half of the searches during peak periods came from mobile devices, proving that offering a true omnichannel approach, with a suitable mCommerce platform, is what consumers are looking for.

“Yet traditional retailers are not necessarily doomed. They can transform their offering by bringing together a customer’s in-store and online experience, reaching out to consumers on their mobiles as they walk past a store, for instance, and enabling them to buy instantly on their smartphone. Today’s retail sales show that despite the growth in online retailing, still only 12.8% of sales are internet purchases – the store retains its appeal.

“Even Amazon is recognising the revolutionary potential of combining bricks-and-mortar stores with online infrastructure, as they announced plans last year to open their first store in Seattle. Traditional retailers must act now to embrace the disruptive technology that will keep them ahead of their online rivals.”