Mobile searches driving on-line retail boom

Mobile retail searches are the driving force behind the current boom in online sales of goods for parcel delivery, new figures have revealed.

According to the latest report from the British Retail Consortium and Google, total retail search volumes in the second quarter of 2011 grew by 27 per cent compared with the same period a year earlier.

That increase was driven by a year-on-year rise in mobile search volumes of 216 per cent, it added.

The growth of retail search volumes for multi-channel retailers hit 14 per cent in the second quarter, compared with 21 per cent for pure online sellers.

Meanwhile, the number of UK consumers searching for overseas retailers grew by 76 per cent, with the quantity of their international equivalents looking for UK retailers up 34 per cent.

Stephen Robertson, Director General, British Retail Consortium, said: "While the retail sector as a whole is going through a difficult period, the boom in online retail continues. The star performer is mobile, with the number of retail searches being carried out on smart phones and tablets more than trebling for this quarter compared with the same period last year."

Source : Paul Burn - My Hermes
http://news.myhermes.co.uk/mobile-searches-driving-online-retail-boom-800625633.news