A new report from KPMG says consumers around the world are embracing new technology - and consumers in the UK are adopting many of these new technologies faster than the rest of the world. The KPMG report, entitled ‘The Converged Lifestyle’, also says UK consumers appear to be more concerned about privacy and security than other countries.

45% of UK respondents said they used their mobile device to locate the nearest store when out shopping. 32% said they used their mobiles to research products and services and 30% for online coupons. In addition, 19% scanned barcodes to find product information.

Tudor Aw, KPMG’s European Head of Technology, said “From buying goods on their mobile phones to keeping up with friends on social networks, consumers are increasingly reliant on a range of technologies that perform important - yet often overlapping - tasks. This new ‘converged lifestyle’ will have huge implication for retailers. The integration of various channels will become increasingly important as retailers begin to see many of their consumers move to online and application-based purchases. As the ubiquitous smartphones empowers the consumer retailers will need to understand the opportunities and risks that mobile devices present.”

When it came to mobile banking, consumers in the UK proved to be more reluctant than those in other parts of the world. Just 27% said they had used some form of mobile banking in the past six months, compared with a 52% figure globally. In addition, 66% of UK respondents said they were concerned about the potential for credit card information to be intercepted by an unauthorised person and 62% were worried about personally identifiable information being accessed.