As the number of people owning a smartphone continues to rise, new research has revealed that men are more likely to shop via their mobiles than women.
The Kantar Media’s Global TGI survey found that 12% of male respondents in the UK said they were interested in using their phone to make purchases, compared to 10.3% of women. In the US, the figures were 15.9% and 13.3% respectively.
The research also showed that mobile shoppers were more predisposed to impulse purchasing. In France, 13% of mobile shoppers said they tended to spend money without thinking, compared to 6% of the general population. In Brazil, 36% of mobile shoppers bought products on impulse, compared to 29% of the total population. In addition, mobile shoppers were found to be more brand and quality conscious, with 19% of those surveyed in Germany believing that well-known brands were better than a shop’s own-label product. This compared to 11% of the population as a whole.
"Retail is being revolutionised by the smartphone, and the resulting shopping apps and mobile websites," said Polly Christie, senior global account manager at Kantar Media Global TGI. "It is now quick and easy to shop and compare products and prices anywhere, whether out shopping or from the comfort of the sofa. Consumers are firmly in the driving seat and retailers need to use renewed insight and analysis to ensure their offering is truly customer-focused.”
Kantar's breakdown of the percentage of mobile shoppers by gender is as follows:
- US: men – 15.9%, women – 13.3%
- UK: men – 12%, women – 10.3%
- Australia: men – 9.5%, women – 9.2%
- Germany: men – 5%, women – 1.9%
- South Africa: men – 4.7%, women – 2.5%
- Saudi Arabia: men – 3.3%, women – 2.5%
- Colombia: men – 2.5%, women – 1.3%
- Brazil: men – 2.3%, women – 1.7%
- France: men – 2.2%, women – 1.7%
- Mexico: men – 0.9%, women – 0.6%
