European adoption of mobile commerce driven by 18-34 year olds

NEW research has revealed that the UK currently has the highest number of consumers participating in mobile commerce, with 19 per cent doing so in April 2010, with 18-34 year olds representing the primary drivers of mobile commerce.

The research conducted by the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA)and research partner, Lightspeed Research, today released results of the latest UK, French and German Mobile Consumer Briefing reports on Mobile Commerce.

The UK’s dominant position was followed by 13 per cent of Germans 9 per cent of French participating in mobile commerce. 18-34 year olds represent the primary drivers of mobile commerce across all three markets surveyed, with 29 per cent of British consumers, 21 per cent of German and 15 per cent of French in this age group making transactions in the April 2010.

Across all three countries, the most common form of mobile commerce is the purchase of content for mobile phones (e.g. ringtones, applications), with 12 per cent of UK, 8 per cent of German and 5 per cent of French respondents making a mobile content purchase in April 2010. Purchases were not entirely concerned with mobile content or even restricted to products available through operator billing. For example, the purchase of goods and services and collection or redemption of loyalty points (like airline miles) were the second most common form of mobile commerce in France, suggesting a growing opportunity to use mobile for CRM and customer loyalty campaigns.

The mobile web was the medium used most frequently for mobile commerce overall, accounting for roughly half of all transactions. This differed slightly in the case of mobile content, with 52 per cent of UK respondents preferring to purchase mobile content via the web, compared with 49 per cent of Germans preferring messaging (SMS, IM, MMS) and 56 per cent of French respondents preferring to buy via mobile applications.

“Mobile commerce is beginning to change the mobile retail landscape,” said Dr. Peter A. Johnson, VP of Market Intelligence for the MMA. “Rapid adoption of smartphones and use of app stores has provided fertile ground for mobile commerce growth to date and this will only accelerate in the coming years. This research provides a clear indication of how the convenience of mobile commerce is gaining traction. As consumers become increasingly comfortable and confident with paying for goods and services through their mobile it is possible to see m-commerce becoming mainstream or perhaps even the dominant form of transactions.”

“This research provides invaluable insight into consumer attitudes towards mobile commerce that can help marketers understand the opportunities in this exciting new channel.” said Ralph Risk, Marketing Director, EMEA, Lightspeed Research. “Clearly there is a market for mobile transactions now and in the future, which is not just limited to mobile-related purchases, but for anything that consumers might pay for over the internet or in person.”

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