Europe Sees Sharp Rise in Shopping by Mobile

- Turkey , Italy and Poland are the Mobile Shopping Hotspots of Europe

- Half (50%) of Mobile Shoppers are Likely to Return to a Store That Saves Their Payment Details

More people in Europe are using their mobile devices to buy consumer goods than ever before, with clothing and electronics the most popular purchases.

The findings from the annual report reveal that two thirds (66%) of people in Europe with a smartphone or tablet now use it to make purchases - up from 58% in 2015.

The increase in mobile banking and ease of 'one-click ordering' - which saves users' payment details - are possible factors in this rise. The study found that 82% of people who bank by smartphone or tablet are also using their device for retail therapy, while 50% of mobile shoppers admit they are more likely to return to an online retailer that already holds their details.

Turkey (88%), Italy (69%) and Poland (69%) are the European countries with the largest shares of mobile shoppers, but France and the Netherlands are seeing the fastest growth - the share of mobile device owners in these countries who use them to make purchases has increased 16 percentage points year-on-year from 2015 to 2016. 

Across the Atlantic, the USA is experiencing similarly fast growth (up 16 percentage points to 74%), while in Australia the uptake of mobile shopping increased just six percentage points in the year, to 49%.

Mobile shopping is most popular among younger mobile users, but year-on-year growth can be seen across all age groups. The share of 18-24 year olds using their smartphone or tablet to shop now stands at 86%, up from 72% in 2015 - and the 25-34 and 45-54 age brackets have both seen an 11 percentage point increase. Men appear slightly more likely than women to shop by mobile device.

Mobile purchases across Europe over the last 12 months have been dominated by clothing (43%) and electronics (37%). But there is variation between countries.

The convenience of ordering home-delivered meals on the go means one in five people in Europe (19%) are now using their mobile device to buy takeaways. Turkey , home to the world's largest home-delivered meal ordering platform Yemek Sepeti, is where the trend is most prevalent (41%).

With similar companies, like JustEat and Deliveroo, now available in many cities across Europe , appetite in countries like the UK (21%) and Spain (21%) shows little sign of slowing down.

A higher share of mobile device owners in the UK (26%) buy music via their mobile than in any other European nation, and the UK and Turkey (both 31%) have the largest shares who use their smartphone or tablet to buy groceries. Elsewhere, mobile device owners in Luxembourg and Italy (27%) are more likely to book a holiday from their smartphone or tablet than their European neighbours.