Retailers lagging in m-commerce stakes – survey

QR codes

Retailers lagging in m-commerce stakes – survey
Pictured: Just 14pc of UK organisations investing in QR codes

While a growing number of consumers are expected to be buying goods and services regularly via their mobiles within the next three years, retailers appear to be lagging behind in terms of providing the means for them to do so, according to a new survey.

Carried out by Empirix and the Customer Experience Foundation, the survey of nearly 8,000 consumers and more than 2,000 professionals in the UK, US, France and Germany, found that 91pc of respondents believe m-commerce services will make their shopping experience more convenient.

Ninety percent of respondents said the services will save them time in their shopping processes and 68pc said new mobile services will have a positive impact on their service quality.

While consumers are positive about the potential of m-commerce, the survey suggests that organisations around the world are not yet ready to meet these increasing expectations. It said the UK in particular has been slower to react to the changing market conditions with lower investment in the building blocks required to deliver mobile shopping services when compared to companies in the US, France and Germany.

Only 14pc of organisations in the UK are investing in QR codes compared to 41pc in the U. and 45pc in Germany. Additionally, just 42pc of organisations in the UK indicated that they have an overall mobile strategy in place compared with 54pc of US companies.

“As we see consumer demand and expectations increase for mobile capabilities, the pressure is really on businesses to start providing mobile shopping services sooner rather than later,” said Tim Moynihan, vice president of marketing, Empirix. “However, there are a number of potential issues organisations will need to overcome if they are to be successful, the primary challenge being network performance and quality assurance. As more businesses deliver m-commerce applications to an increasing number of consumers, the risk of poor service increases dramatically.”