More online shopping being done on tablets
Fast-growing sector accounts for 'substantial share' of retail searches on mobile devices, says BRC.

By Suzanna Bain.

July 16, 2012.

Consumers are increasingly turning to tablets when shopping online, the latest research suggests.

According to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), tablet searches for the second quarter of 2012 accounted for 40 per cent of all non-PC and non-laptop retail searches.

Combined mobile/tablet search volumes, meanwhile, grew by 113 per cent year-on-year during the same period.

There was a noticeable peak in online retail searches carried out on mobile/tablet devices during Monday May 7’s Bank holiday.

“For the first time, we can see searches from tablets are responsible for 40 per cent of all retail searches from mobile devices – a very substantial share,” says Stephen Robertson, director general of the BRC.

“This reflects the growth in shoppers using tablets at home, instead of a laptop or PC,” he adds.

Peter Fitzgerald, retail director of Google, continues: “Some of the top days for mobile queries were around the Q2 Bank Holidays, demonstrating two central trends.

“First, the local trend: With so many people out and on the go we see mobile queries rise. Second, there’s the trend of using mobile devices while watching TV. This drives up mobile queries around Bank Holidays, which are big TV viewing days,” he explains.