A new study conducted by Telmetrics, has looked at how consumers in the UK respond to mobile advertising, indicating that the growth in smartphone and tablet usage is convincing more people to commit to purchases while on the move.

Forty six per cent of respondents said that when they were looking to buy something via safe shopping online, their portable device is now the most important platform involved in helping them make a decision. This is an increase over previous studies and suggests that the influence of mobiles and tablets is continuing to grow.

Seventy five per cent of those who regularly shop from a smartphone said that when they encountered ads which they then engaged with, they ultimately plan to go through with a purchase based on this marketing within a month.

There are still a quarter of people willing to wait more than a month to come to a decision about whether or not to buy something online, but the fact that smartphones and tablets are helping to improve consumer engagement is sure to convince more retailers to target this audience.

Interestingly, the report found that people aged between 35 and 54 are spending more of their time glued to their mobile devices than younger adults aged 34 and below, which could mean that retailers and advertisers will shift their focus to this older group.

Meanwhile, a quarter of the younger age range said that their buying habits are mostly driven by the price they are asked to pay, showing that an emphasis on value is present throughout the UK’s population.

Some major retailers have yet to optimise their e-commerce sites for use on smartphones and tablets, but this number is dwindling and soon mobile will become the go-to platform for shopping.