The UK is leading the way in mobile commerce, according to a new report from the Mobile Marketing Association. A new report from the MMA and its research partner Lightspeed Research reveals that 19% of UK consumers currently participate in mobile commerce, followed by 13% of Germans and 9% of French. Purchasing on mobile phones is led by 18 to 34-year-olds; 29% of UK consumers, 21% of German and 15% of French consumers were in this age group.
The most common form of mobile commerce is the purchase of content for mobile phones, such as ringtones and applications, although purchases were not entirely concerned with mobile content. 52% of UK respondents preferred to purchase mobile content via the web, compared with 49% of Germans using messaging (SMS, IM, MMS) and 56% of French respondents preferring to buy via mobile applications.
Most consumers paid for content via their mobile operator's bill. This was the case for 52% of UK respondents, 54% of German and 56% of French respondents.