mobile internet

The social, digital and mobile map of Europe

With a population of 63m, the UK has 55m internet users, 36m Facebook users and 82m mobile subscriptions (which is 30% more than our actual population).

This makes the UK prime territory for digital marketers, but how do we compare with the rest of Europe?

We Are Social has published its Social, Digital and Mobile in Europe Report and it reveals an insight into how much the online world has penetrated our everyday lives.

In the UK, the average time that internet users spend on the internet each day is four hours and six minutes, that’s just through a desktop or laptop computer.

Mobile internet penetration for the UK currently stands at 62% of the total population, with those users currently accessing mobile internet for an average of one hour and 34 minutes.

Let’s compare those figures to the rest of Europe.

Is showrooming really a myth?

A new report from Verdict, reported here, labels ‘showrooming’ as a myth, basing this on the finding that only 2% of respondents had bought an item online while at a retailer’s store. 

I’m not convinced, having seen plenty of evidence of the growing use of mobiles when shopping offline, whether to purchase there and then or to check prices from rival retailers. 

So is it a myth? Let’s have a look at the evidence…

Why are people showrooming and how should retailers respond?

Many retailers are understandably worried about shoppers using their mobiles to compare prices and the threat posed by online-only retailers, which can often beat offline prices. 

However, there is much to be learned about the motivation of mobile shoppers. It seems some intend to buy online no matter what but there is potential for shops to turn others around with great in-store experiences, discounts and rewards. 

Columbia Business School and Aimia have just produced a report on showrooming, which contains some useful stats.

Here’s a selection from the report, along with a few of our suggestions for retailers to deal with the ‘threat’ of showrooming.  

13 ways for retailers to deal with the threat of showrooming

Showrooming, whether retailers like it or not, is here to stay. In fact, as smartphone usage grows, it’s only going to increase. 

Naturally, as retailers see the threat of people using their mobiles to compare prices and buy elsewhere, they are concerned about this trend. 

But what can they do about it?

Here are a few suggestions for tactics that offline and multichannel retailers can use… 

14 of the best infographics we’ve seen in 2012

By my best estimate I think we’ve probably been sent around 700,000 infographics this year, many of which were of excellent quality.

Obviously there have been a few duds along the way, but the best way for us to share all the decent graphics we are sent is in our regular Friday roundup of the best six we’ve received that week.

And the logical conclusion to our weekly roundup is a final collection of the best infographics we’ve seen in 2012.

Just to be clear, there were no strict criteria in the judging process, it’s just a subjective roundup of 14 of my favourites from the past 12 months. So here they are…

Eight studies that reveal how shoppers use smartphones in-store

Anyone who owns a smartphone will know that they come in extremely handy for checking prices and reviews when out shopping.

But marketing strategies can’t be based on hunches, so I thought it would be useful to pull together some surveys and studies that validate this assumption.

The use of mobile in-store is a topic we’ve discussed in detail in a blog post looking at whether retailers should offer free Wi-Fi and our report on How The Internet Can Save The High Street.

And to add to the debate, here are eight useful studies that reveal how and why consumers use smartphones in-store…

Should retailers offer in-store wi-fi?

Offering free wi-fi in stores means that customers can use their mobile or tablet devices without any frustrating connection issues.

It is most commonly seen in coffee shops and restaurants, but there are strong arguments for offering this in retail stores, and many retailers are going down this route. 

In this extract from our How the Internet Can Save the High Street report, I look at the arguments for retailers to provide mobile internet access for customers. 

Using mobile marketing to reach a global audience

Around 87% of the world’s population now has a mobile phone, with China and India leading growth.

Mobile marketing is one of the easiest ways to tap into growing, emerging markets and reach a much larger audience.

However, global companies have been slow to catch on to this trend.

Mobile web: the game changed

7.1m Brits now access the internet via their mobile
phone, and that’s actually quite a lot! And, not only are these users generally more
affluent, but they are also avid consumers of digital marketing.

The advent of
truly mobile internet, and the incredible speed of adoption by the population
as a whole, is causing a re-evaluation of web marketing.

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