Very.co.uk tops IAB m-commerce study
The vast majority (94 per cent) of the UK's leading retailers now have websites designed specifically with a mobile user experience in mind, with Very.co.uk topping the list, as customers start to demand a quality user experience.
The findings were revealed in the latest IAB-published study - dubbed the IAB Mobile User Experience Audience - which ranked the websites of the UK's top 50 retail brands by media spend, rating them by: pageload times; how website copy is tailored for a mobile screen; search functionality, and use of mobile-specific features such as GPS.
Analysis of the stats revealed that 46 per cent of those rated have a responsive design website, i.e. a single website designed to optimise on desktop, tablet and mobile screens, while 48 per cent have a separate mobile-optimised version of their website.
However, the trade body has noted how a notable number of those retailers with a mobile-optimised website scored better than those opting for a responsive design website across a number of measures.
A press release noting the findings goes on to read: "Whilst responsive web design is a great solution to building across desktop, mobile, and tablet these findings highlight the need for advertisers that have taken this approach to think differently about the content they serve on mobile and ensure it meets the high expectations of the tech savvy UK consumer."
IAB mobile manager, Mike Reynolds, added: "This highlights the need for those advertisers approaching mobile with responsive web design to think differently about the content they serve on mobile devices, and pull in the unique functionality that makes mobile such an engaging device."
The study goes on to note how Very.co.uk's mobile sales are 59 per cent of total online sales, which is 17 points ahead of the market average, with the trade body claiming this was the main reason behind 61 per cent of the retailer's total media spend, now being invested in mobile.
Commenting on the his brand's mobile efforts, Shop Direct's head of user experience, Sam Barton added: "We also moved our mobile research, design and development teams in-house to foster creativity, innovation and collaboration and invested in technology which enables quicker build of mobile experiments, where in some regards best practices are still being established."