New research has shown that more than half of shoppers still visit a physical retail store as part of their purchase decisions despite concerns that the rise of online shopping could decrease high street footfall.

xAd‘s fourth annual UK Mobile Path to Purchase report also indicates shoppers are more impatient than ever, with 56 per cent making a purchase decision within the hour after researching on their mobile – compared to 38 per cent last year and 36 per cent in 2014.

Meanwhile, 10 per cent of shoppers use their mobile phones while in shops, while 29 per cent don‘t use any other tool apart from their mobile to make a purchase decision.

Produced annually since 2013, the study provides insight on how the “always-on” and “on-the-go” nature of mobile impacts consumers‘ intent, immediacy and context.

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Theo Theodorou, Head of EMEA, xAd said the report proves “just how crucial a role mobile plays within a consumer‘s decision-making process”.

“For marketers, understanding how people are using their devices to consider purchases is critical – especially under the lens of location and real-world visitation being the highest indicator of purchase intent – to provide the best, most relevant brand experience at the optimum time,” he said.

“Why is this so important? The study shows that 56 per cent of people who research products opt to make a purchase decision – online or offline – within the hour, and overall over 70 per cent want to be within five miles of a physical store, so using location and location intelligence to reach people in those ‘moments that matter‘ is key.”

The news comes as another study revealed that online sales growth has soared, thanks to heavy discounting and warm weather driving footfall.

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