iOS dominates UK mobile commerce

Apple iOS users dominate mobile commerce in the UK, despite having a smaller smartphone user base, according to new research from EPiServer.

EPiServer looked into the mobile buying habits of smartphone and tablet owners in the UK, across iOS, Android, Windows and Blackberry devices.

The survey of 1,000 UK adults who own smartphones and tablets reveals that 66% of iPhone users are making purchases via mobile sites at least once a month, compared to only 47% of those with an Android smartphone. iPhone owners are also the most frequent shoppers, with one in 10 making a purchase using their mobile every single day.

Despite Android’s larger smartphone user base in the UK, 44% compared to 38% for the iPhone, iOS is still the dominant platform for shopping. Apple device users make up 46% of the 25.5 million UK consumers that make mobile site purchases on a monthly or more regular basis, compared to 38% on Android.

The most common type of purchase is music, followed by books, travel, digital products (such as apps or ebooks) and apparel.
Apple’s dominance is echoed for purchases made via apps, with 54% of iPhone users buying regularly this way, versus 37% on Android.

Commenting on these findings, David Bowen, Commerce Product Manager at EPiServer, stated: “The overriding lesson from our study is that commerce must be increasingly omnichannel in order to meet customer demand. Consumers, particularly those in the 25 to 34 age bracket with busy lifestyles and secured incomes, are increasingly multi-device owners and expect commerce experiences to not only span those multiple devices, but to integrate with offline too.”