Retail searches on tablets up 132%
Retail search volumes grew by 15% in the second quarter of 2013 as more consumers used tablet computers to search for products and price check, according to figures released by the British Retail Consortium and Google.
The data shows that search volumes on tablet devices outpaced those on any other device, increasing 132% compared with growth on smartphone devices of 66%.
Searches for DIY and gardening products saw the fastest growth, rising 32% year-on-year. The products also had the highest growth in search volumes on tablets and smartphones, increasing by 170% and 81% respectively.
The BRC said that growth in search volumes on tablets and smartphones were at their highest on the weekend before the Wimbledon Championships.
Helen Dickinson, BRC director general, explained: “This quarter’s search data backs up the trends we have been seeing in the BRC’s Retail Sales Monitor, with increases in interest in clothing brands and garden products. As the weather has improved, these have been popular categories, and with the continuing increase in the use of mobile devices to perform these searches, we may well be seeing customers researching new wardrobe and garden purchases while outdoors enjoying the sunshine.”
The figures also show that search volumes from UK consumers searching overseas retailers increased by 51% in the period compared with the previous year.
Dickinson added: “These results also show the changes the internet is bringing to the international retail market. The considerable increase this month in the number of UK consumers searching overseas retailers show that barriers are increasingly being broken down. UK retailers are already responding well to these changes and will be keen to continue seeing equivalent increases in overseas customers searching them out.”
Peter Fitzgerald, retail director, Google, said: “International interest remains a strong lever for our homegrown retailers with fast-growing regions such as South America and Asia providing much of this increase. UK interest in overseas brands however, has really peaked this quarter driven in particular by interest in US brands.
“The growing multi-screening phenomenon across the UK – where people use their connected devices whilst watching TV – is also reflected in the growth in queries coming from tablets and smartphones.”
Hear the latest mobile retailing strategies and network with like-minded peers at the Retail Bulletin’s 3rd Mobile Retailing Summit, 24th September 2013. Speakers confirmed so far include The Body Shop, Domino’s Pizza Group, John Lewis, Asda, IMRG, Historic Scotland, Mobileweb Company, Economist Intelligence Unit.
