New research, published today by Royal Mail, reveals that the UK’s small online retailers are wishing for a mobile Christmas. The annual survey¹ found that nearly half (46 per cent) have enhanced their mobile shopping experience in time for the festive shopping season to cater for their customers’ fast-changing shopping habits.  Twice as many small retailers have enhanced their m-commerce offering this year than planned to do so at the start of 2015². 

Of those who have invested in mobile, 65 per cent of small online businesses have developed or improved a mobile app in time for Christmas. One in four small retailers have enhanced the accessibility of an existing mobile website. Another 24 per cent have created a mobile optimised website for the first time.

The growth of mobile shopping for small online retailers also means they have become more accessible to consumers – nearly a third (30 per cent) are receiving orders earlier and later in the day- and are reaching further – nearly a fifth (19 per cent) report an increase in international orders. To improve Christmas sales, nearly a third (32 per cent) of small online businesses are planning on working longer days to fulfil orders in the run up to Christmas. 

Nick Landon, Managing Director of Royal Mail Parcels, said: “The actual investment made by small online retailers in their m-commerce capabilities has eclipsed their own predictions. As smaller retailers seek to offer customers a more flexible and immediate shopping experience via their mobile device, they will be under more pressure to ensure that orders are shipped as quickly and efficiently as possible. If small retailers are to match the heightened expectations that this brings, they will need to give even more thought to fulfilment and delivery partners.”

The importance of mobile platforms

The investment in mobile by small online retailers reflects changing consumer behaviour; with a quarter of UK consumers now shopping via mobileº. The Centre for Retail Research predicted that UK retailers would collectively miss out on £6.6bn in mobile spending per year due to a lack of investment in their mobile offering³.

In today’s research, 82 per cent of retailers reported recording the device customers use to access their site. Of these, more than half (54 per cent) report that the number of consumers accessing their site from a mobile has increased in the last year and, for 10 per cent of small online retailers, more than half their sales are now made on a mobile device. 

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Source: Royal Mail Group