Retail search growth driven by smartphone increase
New figures have shown that search volumes on smartphones increased by 26% in the UK in the second quarter of 2017 compared with the same period last year.
The figures from the BRC-Google Online Retail Monitor reveal that UK search volumes maintained year- on-year growth of 7% across all devices in the period.
Meanwhile, retail-related smartphone searches in the UK climbed by 19% year-on-year.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “The growth of UK retail searches online in the second quarter of 2017 remains unchanged on the previous year, although smartphones are increasingly becoming the dominant device for online browsing and therefore the main contributor to this growth. The increase in mobile search volumes over this period is consistent with the upward trend in online non-food sales growth.”
Beauty was the most searched for sector by overseas consumers on mobile devices with growth of 42% in the second quarter of 2017. Apparel was also a popular sector for overseas consumers on mobile devices with an increase of 38%.
Dickinson added: “At home, the top trending searches by UK consumers were prompted by seasonal events and occasions. Beauty brands in particular continue to attract interest from overseas as well as UK consumers, which put the category firmly at the top of the growth rankings. It would appear that this could have translated to some extent into product sales, as health and beauty products ranked second highest in online sector performance over the three-month period.”
Estonia continued to demonstrate the strongest appetite for UK retailers, reporting a 77% growth on mobile devices in the period compared with the same quarter in 2016.
