Mobile devices may know better when it comes to purchases — at least, that’s what a lot of consumers in the U.K. think, based on new research from Salmon Ltd., a digital commerce consulting company.
According to a report that highlighted the study, 54 percent of residents in the U.K. says they are, at the very least, “somewhat comfortable” with letting their mobile phones and other smart devices make purchasing decisions for them. What’s more, the survey found 57 percent of U.K. shoppers said they will be ready for mobile device purchases within the next two years. Of the survey respondents, 13 percent are ready now. Dubbed “programmatic commerce” by Salmon, the next stage of online retail will be made up of automated purchases with no action required by the consumer.
That would certainly inject more convenience into shopping, but what if the mobile device buys a pair of jeans that you can’t pull off or makes another bad style decision? According to the report, programmatic commerce is more likely to include an internet-connected refrigerator that can reorder food and beverages you run out of. The study found 59 percent of survey respondents said they would choose smart technology if it would enable the type of shopping described above. Of the consumers, 54 percent said they would be comfortable having their device order household supplies, while 54 percent said food and drink and 34 percent said beauty and personal care products. Thankfully, no votes for clothing were highlighted in the report.
This new way of shopping, noted the report, will be made possible thanks to the explosion in the Internet of Things market or devices that are connected and talk to each other. So, why are U.K. consumers so ready for this? According to the report, 37 percent said they like the time saved, while 37 percent cited money saving and 25 percent said convenience was the motivating factor. Sixty percent said they wouldn’t pay more for this convenience.
