Retailers need to be ready to face a new breed of savvy consumers, according to new research into the way people use broadband-enabled mobile devices to access the web while they are out and about.

The research, which was carried out among early adopters of the internet-capable Broadband Anywhere BT ToGo smartphone, points to a growing trend for shoppers to compare prices and look up product reviews and recommendations by other consumers when they are on the move. It shows that while customers have been out and about in the last three months:

• Forty five per cent have browsed for goods or services;

• One in three have price checked or searched for a review of a product/service;

• One in three have found that their devices have helped them to make well-informed buying decisions;

• One in five have made an actual purchase online in the past three months.

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While shoppers may still like to look and touch physical goods before committing to particular buying decisions, such as big electronics purchases or more personal items like clothes, once they’ve settled on a model or item, increasing numbers are now turning to online to get the cheapest deal.

“Broadband on the move is bringing about a change in consumer behaviour,” said BT Futurologist Ian Neild. Consumers can now do the things they would normally do at home when they are out and about. The ease with which they can go online to sites like Pricerunner or ADSLguide to inform their buying decisions puts added pressure on high-street retailers to offer the best prices and the product ranges that people want.

“The days of the internet being something for the home are over. For a growing number of savvy shoppers, the online and in-store worlds have now merged. Retailers should take advantage of the fact that customers may now have access to the Internet whilst in-store and, for example, use their wifi connections to deliver expert advice via a store intranet channel,.”

Kenneth Bundy, a BT ToGo customer who took part in the study said, “It’s like having a consumer panel in your pocket. When I’m on the high street I can now find out what other shoppers think before making a purchase. Price checking on larger items also makes me feel I’m more likely to pay a fair price.”

The research also provides a warning to retailers who have not yet developed mobile versions of their websites. When asked to name the most important feature of sites viewed from a mobile device:

• One in five said they had to be specifically designed for mobile use;

• 39 per cent said they should be easy to navigate;

• A quarter said they needed to be quick to load.

Neild continues, “People want fit-for-purpose content that offers as sophisticated an experience on their handheld device as they’re used to on their PC. At the current rate, many businesses are in danger of being caught on the hop. These findings suggest that consumers’ expectations may be outstripping the reality being offered by businesses.”

Other key findings of the study:

• One fifth of consumers think they now spend less time surfing the internet at work because the surfing they used to do in the office they now do on the move.

• Respondents on average spend two and a half hours each week accessing the internet while out and about.

• The most popular types of websites visited:
- Search sites (71 per cent)
- News (66 per cent)
- Travel and transport (45 per cent)
- Entertainment (42 per cent)
- Sport (37 per cent)
- Price comparison (22 per cent)

• 34 per cent agreed that their mobile device has improved their social life because it makes it easier to stay in touch.

• Almost half (47 per cent) feel that, as a result of having their BT ToGo, they are now more ‘in touch’. This is because of the ease with which they can visit news and current affairs websites while on the move.

• In May, BT launched the BT Total Broadband Anywhere option, an all-inclusive package offering a free, internet-capable smartphone - the BT ToGo - which delivers a complete broadband experience both at home and out and about for surfing the web, sending and receiving e-mails, making calls or texting. Over 40,000 customers have already signed up for the service.

• BT Total Broadband Anywhere customers have access to more than 3,000 BT Openzone hotspots at locations including railway stations, airports, hotel chains, coffee shops, marinas including 12 city centres, plus hotspots provided by the BT FON Wi-Fi community, now with more than 121,000 members.

• To find their nearest hotspot, customers can use the BT Openzone Hotspot Directory.

Source: BT Group
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