The UK is lagging behind the US in the race for mobile commerce, according to research from judo payments.
The survey shows that about 22 per cent of adults in the UK (seven million adults) have used their smartphone to make purchases in the past year, but are still a long way behind the 60 per cent figure in the US.
Despite a 57 per cent growth in the number of mobile apps requiring card payments in the past year, 23.7m mobile sales have been aborted mainly due to complex checkout procedures. Developers say that it card payments were easier to integrate with apps; growth in number of apps including payments would soar by 64 per cent.
Dennis Jones, CEO of judo, commented: “One of the engines for economic recovery and growth in the UK is the smart development of apps for smartphones. UK smartphone penetration is set to double by 2016, creating a huge market for developers. However, the majority of users are not even attempting to make purchases using their smartphones, while those who do try find it too difficult.
