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One in five smart phone users shopping through apps

A fifth of smart phone owners use apps to buy goods, new research has found.

A new study from marketing firm the Bio Agency finds that British people spend £581 million a year shopping through apps, with each person spending an average of £30 per month. Groceries, DVDs, cinema and train tickets are the most popular goods to be bought using smart phone apps. Over 3,000 people were surveyed for the research, carried out in March by online research firm One Poll.

Peter Veash, managing director of the BIO Agency, said, “ It's about convenience and simplicity when purchasing. You might not be at the shop or have access to a computer but you do have your phone with you. You can also compare prices easily. You can be in shop A and instantly check the price in shop B.”

Reflecting just how popular smart phones are now becoming, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) recently announced that it would be including iPhones and Android phones amongst the 650 items used to track the cost of living. ONS statistician Phil Gooding said that smart phones and smart phone apps had now become an essential way of communicating and finding out information for many people and therefore it was relevant to include them.