Mobile internet ‘offers sales potential’

The amount of shopping which takes place online via mobile handsets could be set to increase in the future, according to research.

Online market analyst Lightspeed Research has published figures showing that 17 per cent of Britons would respond favourably to the concept of shopping online from their mobile phone.

This is greater than the proportion of French respondents who would embrace such shopping, which stands at nine per cent.

However, the importance of a strong brand identity is also observed, with three-quarters of respondents saying they would focus on familiar high street names when choosing an online store.

The news comes alongside statistics which indicate mobile internet usage in general is likely to increase.

Figures cited by digital design agency Fortune Cookie suggest that more people are turning to mobile internet in order to fill the “dead time” they would otherwise waste.

Such time typically occurs while travelling, according to the organisation, with public transport such as buses, taxis and trains common locations wherein dead time may take place.