The managing director of Google UK has said having some kind of mobile presence is now so crucial for retailers that not having anything is “like having your shop shut on a Tuesday.”

The managing director of Google UK has said having some kind of mobile presence is now so crucial for retailers that not having anything is “like having your shop shut on a Tuesday.”

Matt Brittin, who is also a non-executive director at Sainsbury’s, said at the World Retail Congress in Berlin that 15-20% of searches in Europe are now done on mobile phones. He added that most new services that Google launches are now done first for the mobile, and then adapted for desk top PCs.

He said: “Mobile is growing at a massive rate, the like of which we haven’t seen since the early days of the internet.”

Mobile is growing quickly and needs simple, user friendly technology, so Google prefers to launch services like voice search on mobile before moving it to more complex desk top computers.

Sir Martin Sorrel, chief executive of marketing giant the WPP Group agreed mobile is an area of high growth, and added retailers must tweak their business models: “It’s as much of a challenge for legacy retailers as it is for newspapers.” Communication on mobile and social networks must be subtle, he said. Brittin added there is no point trying to control online communication, even if something goes wrong. “There’s a risk, but at least online you can respond fast,” he said.

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