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Shoppers take to Mobile Internet to compare prices

Recent research from BT shows that there is a growing trend of savvy consumers using broadband-capable mobile devices to check prices and review products on the move.

The research was conducted on customers who have been using BT’s ToGo smartphone in the last three months.  This is a smartphone that provides mobile Internet on the move and comes as part of BT’s “Broadband Anywhere” broadband service which also includes a home broadband service.  More than 40,000 customers have signed up for service.

It found that 45 percent of customers on the move were browsing for goods or service.  One in three customers checked prices and looked at reviews of products or services.  They also found their devices helped them to make a well-informed buying decision.  The most popular types of website to visit were Search sites (71 per cent), News (66 per cent), Travel and transport (45 per cent), Entertainment (42 per cent), Sport (37 per cent) and Price comparison (22 per cent).

Using the Internet appears to be fast becoming an activity that is not just done at home.  Recently, an Ofcom communications report showed a large increase in sales of mobile broadband dongles.  These are simple devices that provide instant Internet access when plugged into a laptop or PC.  Mobile Internet is also available on a large number of mobile phones, and with reasonably priced packages from mobile operators, provides plenty of options to the consumer.

One fifth of consumers think they now spend less time surfing the internet at work and instead surf on the move.

“The days of the internet being something for the home are over,” said BT Futurologist Ian Neild.  “For a growing number of savvy shoppers, the online and in-store worlds have now merged. Retailers should take advantage of the fact that customers may now have access to the Internet whilst in-store and, for example, use their wifi connections to deliver expert advice via a store intranet channel”.

One fifth of consumers also thought that the websites they accessed should be designed specifically for mobile devices.

Neild warned, “People want fit-for-purpose content that offers as sophisticated an experience on their handheld device as they’re used to on their PC. At the current rate, many businesses are in danger of being caught on the hop. These findings suggest that consumers’ expectations may be outstripping the reality being offered by businesses.”

Further information

• Full BT news release
• Mobile Broadband Offers