Mobiles drive retail internet search growth
The number of consumers searching for retail products on internet search engines increased by 27% in the second quarter of 2011.
The increase was driven by a rise in mobile phone search volumes, which were up by 216% on the same period in 2010, according to a survey by Google and the British Retail Consortium.
Growth in retail search volumes for multi-channel retailers – principally those using stores and the internet – was 14% in the second quarter of 2011 compared with 21% for purely online retailers.
Stephen Robertson, director general of the 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.”
