The rise of the mobile spender

UK adults spent £179 billion in 2021 on mobile devices while out of home, according to research from out-of-home (OOH) agency Kinetic.

Why it matters

That’s a huge figure for a period of disruption when people were confined to their homes for long periods. And with COVID restrictions now lifted, people are more confident in returning to work, retail, and outdoor leisure and events – a trend that is likely to continue in the absence of any new variant – which makes OOH an increasingly important channel once again.

Key findings 

• People are most likely to make a purchase while on their daily [public transport] commute (the average adult who has made a purchase on their commute does so 4.6 times in a month), but travelling for leisure (3.1 times per month) and going out shopping (3.0 times on average) also score highly. 
• Younger commuters (18-34 year-olds) led the way among regular commuters both in number of purchases (5.8 per week) and total spend (£93 per week), but the over-55s are also comfortable making purchases on the move (2.5 times per week with a weekly average spend of £62). 
• Londoners account for over half of all m-commerce spend among working age adults (£93 billion), followed at a distance by the South East of England (£17 billion) and West Midlands (£13 billion).
• Clothes (£30 billion) and groceries (£29 billion) were the most popular out-of-home purchases, accounting for one third of all mobile spending.

Key quote 

“While mobile purchasing outside the home is popular with young, urban professionals it really cuts across age, demographic and UK region. We’re at the point where we’re more likely to make an online purchase when we are out and about than we are when we are at home” – Sarah Robinson, head of insight at Kinetic. 

Sourced from Kinetic [Image: Ross Sneddon on Unsplash]