While the value of mobile shopping is expected to grow by more than five times to £53.6bn by 2024, research from Barclays has found that fewer than 3% of retailers say they’re at the cutting-edge of this technology.
Smartphone and tablet’s influence on commerce could touch as much as 42% of all sales in a decade’s time, representing £112bn, but the bank’s survey of 221 UK retailers found that 70% do not currently offer a mobile website or an app.
The majority of consumers, 57% of 1,500 people asked, said they think all shops should offer free wifi, but only 14% of the stores surveyed do this, with only 7% planning to invest in this in the future.
This could be a key target market for Tech City startups, including ShopWave and Orderswift, that are working in the retail space.