Technology is moving faster than I can keep up with and with the growing use of the speedier 4G network it is only going to speed up further

Technology is moving faster than I can keep up with and with the growing use of the speedier 4G network it is only going to speed up further

Research this week from eBay, compiled by analysts Conlumino, shows 4G, which is speedier than the widely used 3G mobile, will increase retail spend on mobile by £1.8bn a year, which represents a 113% year-on-year jump in mobile shopping, compared to 2012.

The faster network will mean many of us will be much more comfortable shopping online on the move because the platform will be quicker and more reliable, taking away the biggest barriers as to why customers might feel nervous about putting in their credit card details into their phones.

Although I am a keen mobile phone shopper, when it comes to buying clothes, although I spend many an hour browsing on my bus journey to work, I prefer to buy on my desktop as I worry it is too risky.

So for fashion retailers in particular, this will transform the browsing experience for customers like me, converting us into buyers.

Mobile sites will be able to cope with more, enabling retailers to use higher quality images online to display the clothing. It will also allow them to use better quality videos, giving them a chance to upload catwalk shows and interact more with their cusomers base.

Checkouts, the vital point of the transactional process where retailers lose most of their sales, will be more robust too.

Because of this, mobile shoppers will be able to access content as though they were working on a desktop computer, offering a much more seamless experience across the brands channels and therefore unlocking customers’ purses.

In short, 4G will be key for retailers seeking that holy grail of the “omnichannel” experience.

It’s not all going to be easy, however, because although 4G is available now it will take time for the transition from 3G due to shoppers needing 4G-ready devices. There may also be connectivity issues as to whether you can access it across the country.

But once it’s here all signs point to a much more exciting retail experience, and I’m going to have to pick up the pace or when 4G comes everything will just be a blur to me.