Intersperience reveals UK consumers shopped very differently during holiday season

The survey of 1,000 British consumers revealed a dramatic increase in the use of mobile phones for holiday shopping. Thirty percent of consumers used their phones in some way as part of their holiday shopping, versus only 10% who did so last year.

According to Intersperience chief executive Paul Hudson mobile is influencing purchases rather than being used to pay for items. Of the 1,000 survey respondents just 6% made a purchase via mobile (up from 4% last year) but nearly a third used their mobile device to help make a purchase decision:

- 13% used mobile to find gift ideas
- 19% used mobile to compare prices
- 12% used mobile to compare product specifications

Furthermore, consumers are increasingly using their mobile devices when in-store to compare prices with other retailers and find the best deal.

- 20% used their mobile while in-store
- 11% compared products with other retailers
- 11% compared prices with other retailers
- 10% visited competing retailers' websites
- 7% used their mobile device to purchase from a competitor's website while in-store.

"This is the year that the mobile phone changed the way we shop," said Hudson. "With people very conscious of their reduced spending power this year, they have chosen the latest technology to help them find the best deals."

Tags: consumer insight, m-commerce, mobile commerce, mobile marketing, shopping behavior, smartphone, technology, UK