British consumers are set to spend £19.3 billion a year using their mobile phones and tablets within the next decade, according to new research by Barclays Corporate. This compares with £1.3 billion spent today.
The convenience of amending shopping lists, making payments and arranging delivery times via mobile means food and groceries remain the most popular ‘on the go’ mobile purchase, ringing up sales of nearly £300 million for supermarkets and grocery stores this year. By 2021 this figure is expected to top £5 billion.
Electricals are the second most popular mobile purchase with £290 million due to be purchased via a smart phone or tablet this year. By 2021 sales are predicted to reach £2.1 billion but, the purchase of electrical goods will fall back in the rankings to fourth position, in value terms. Personal care, which includes hair care, beauty, dental and baby products will enjoy the strongest growth with m-commerce sales rising from £63 million in 2011 to £3.1 billion in 10 years time.
Richard Lowe, head of retail and wholesale at Barclays Corporate, said: “M-commerce is still a relatively niche channel accounting for 0.5% of total retail spend. However
