British mobile shoppers biggest in Europe

Six years ago there were virtually no smartphones in use in the British Isles. Today 46% of mobile phone users in the country pack the power of a smartphone in their pocket - that's around 24.6 million devices. Across Europe smartphone ownership is around 38%.

British smartphone users are leading the way in Europe when it comes to shopping via their device. A study, commissioned by Kelkoo and conducted by the Centre for Retail Research, found that mobile shopping in the UK is set to rise 53% in the next year to reach $7.1 billion. That's an increase of 584% from 2010's total of $1.1 billion.

The rise in mobile spending means that, for the third year running, British mobile shoppers will be the biggest mobile spenders in Europe followed by Germany ($4.2 billion) and France ($3 billion).

"Over the last two years, shopping on mobile phones has increased exponentially as a result of simple and secure payment systems, better functionality and increased uptake of 'always on' mobile devices such as iPads and tablets," said Chris Simpson, CMO at Kelkoo.

"The fact that mobile retailing in the UK has grown by a staggering 584% since 2010 alone highlights how UK consumers are going beyond the PC to find the best online prices wherever they are. At Kelkoo we've seen phenomenal growth in mobile shopping comparisons."

Tags: Britain, Europe, mobile marketing, mobile payment, mobile phone, mobile shopping, smartphone trends, tablet, UK