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Mobile
Buying Spree
Mobile phone users are dumping pen and paper shopping lists
and buying with their handsets in the latest retail craze.
The newest type of shopping to
sweep the globe is set to drive annual sales
of $119 billion worldwide by 2015, a report reveals.
Consumers can
already order goods ranging from pizzas to digital cameras,
nappies, and even football jumpers with the touch of a phone
button.
Others
are using handsets to direct them to the nearest
supermarket, bank or fast-food outlet while on the road, or
to check recipes before grabbing groceries on the run.
Retail
analysts said most Aussies were using smart phone handsets
connected to the internet to search for products and best
deals or to find store locations before hitting the shops to
buy.
But an
ABI Research report is predicting a boom in actual buying in
future years as more consumers upgrade their handsets and
companies make online shopping services more quickly and
easily
assessable with phone as well as computers. Pizza chain
Domino’s say a new iPhone application that lets users order
its food over their handsets has generated sales of 2
million in just 12 weeks.
And since
October 2009, 110,000 iPhone users have downloaded an
application that lets you find you’re nearest Coles
supermarket, create electronic shopping lists through links
to recipes or select
various
groceries from a virtual home. Coles IT general manager said
there were plans to add weekly catalogue products. The
company is also investigating a system to share electronic
shopping
lists
with family and friends. The ability to make shopping as
convenient as possible is motivation. Rival Woolworths
recently introduced special websites for mobile phone users
with internet access.
The sites
are called up with a handset and give selected information
including store location, specials and recipes. Broader
mobile shopping potential would be monitored as connection
speeds and
reception
improved. Herald Sun - Monday Feb 22-2010 |
