New Data: Mobile Shopping Still Underutilized by UK Consumers Despite Merchant Efforts

United Kingdom shoppers have yet to fully realize the power of the smartphone, as brick-and-mortar shoppers in the country use smartphones 16% less than consumers in other countries to enhance their in-store shopping experiences. Nevertheless, those smartphones just might be the key to helping U.K. merchants win their business.

For the 2022 Global Digital Shopping Playbook: UK Edition, a collaboration with Cybersource, PYMNTS surveyed a census-balanced panel of more than 13,000 consumers from across Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom, the United States and the United Arab Emirates to learn how shoppers in different countries prefer to shop and pay for their retail purchases — and how local merchants can win their business.

Key findings from our research include:

• U.K. consumers have not yet fully tapped mobile-assisted retail experiences. Local shoppers are 16% less likely than average to use their smartphones at any time for any reason during their shopping journeys, whether they are shopping online, in-store or with a mix of both.

• A lack of digital and cross-channel shopping features adds unnecessary friction to U.K. consumers’ shopping experiences. U.K. consumers encounter 11% more shopping friction than the average consumer across the six countries we studied.

• U.K. merchants that integrated digital features into their brick-and-mortar stores provide a more seamless experience than competitors. U.K. consumers who order online and pick up in-store experience 10% less shopping friction than the average U.K. consumer. Those who use their smartphones to enhance their in-store shopping journeys experience 41% less friction than those who do not use their smartphones in this way.

These are only a few of the trends PYMNTS identified throughout our extensive research. To learn more about how U.K. merchants can tap the transformative power of mobile and cross-channel shopping features to boost sales, download the report.

For all PYMNTS retail coverage, subscribe to the daily Retail Newsletter.