The study suggests that the latest developments in shopping technology could deliver a £2.4bn sales boost to the UK’s retail sector by 2014. New technology like augmented reality, which projects digital information onto physical products, could indirectly generate an additional £9.1bn of sales within the next two years, eBay estimates.

However, the report predicts that interactive TV will be the most influential new technology for retail, with 25% of people regularly shopping via this medium by the end of 2014. Other examples of technological progress such as a fridge ordering food and a virtual image of a consumer trying on clothes online will also push sales upwards by up to 4%, the report claims.

These developments are referred to as the third wave of technological revolution, following online and mobile that have changed retail fundamentally. Yet, together with the huge opportunities for business, the new developments will bring a number of challenges to retailers as well, eBay notes. The report concludes that brands which fail to embrace new technology and to adapt to new customer demands will seriously lag behind others and can hardly expect any growth at all.

From marginal niche products, smartphones have turned into an everyday gadget in a relatively short time and are now owned by 47% of people in Britain, mostly due to the accessibility of Android and iOS.

The new survey shows that Apple is still the top choice when consumers buy a smartphone, with a market share of 29%. Samsung comes next, with a market share of 20%, while Blackberry and HTC follow with a 17% share each. Just in comparison, Nokia is the leader among feature phones, holding 43% of the UK market, while it manages to grasp a mere 9% share of smartphone sales across the country with its new Windows Phone.

It is expected that over the next 12 months the proportion of UK consumers having a smartphone will reach 55%. However, the adoption of smartphones might be slowing down, according to YouGov, as the poll reveals that half of those who own a feature phone are happy with them and 40% currently have no intention to switch to a smartphone.

More than one in three feature phone users cite price as the key factor for shunning smartphones, so the launch of cheaper models, particularly by Samsung and HTC, is likely to have a positive effect on smartphone sales overall, YouGov predicts.

According to the newspaper, there are two main factors that have driven customers away from the high street. The first one is the emerging shopping centres, both within and outside the city. These centres provide a vast range of products and services all in one place, including various forms of entertainment, which makes them more convenient and easily accessible.

The second factor is the huge growth of online and mobile shopping, which allows many consumers to shop chiefly from home. More important, however, is the fact that often online shopping is cheaper than going to the shops. With many consumers counting on online as a main channel for shopping, competition has largely moved onto the web, in the form of exclusive offers, deals and other special content, and this is what many high street retailers have failed to come to terms with.

In order to stay competitive, high street shops should integrate online and offline channels, provide additional value and concentrate on service and delivering a complete shopping experience. Brick and mortar shops can provide quality service and attention that cannot be received online, so the basic task is to combine both channels by using the web to attract people to the high street, the paper concludes.

This is what a new report from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG claims shaped the picture of UK retailing last month. Because of the heavy rain, many consumers preferred to stay at home and buy what they need on the web, driving online sales up by 9% compared to the same period last year. By contrast, high street sales dipped by 1% year-on-year and 3.3% on a like-for-like basis.

Nevertheless, the growth in e-commerce in April was the slowest since November 2011 and although this could be explained with the very strong performance in April last year, Stephen Robertson, director general of the BRC, thinks that the latest figures might be reflecting a trend.

In fact, he notes that growing at a slower rate could be expected for online shopping, as this typically signals that the market is maturing. In addition, with heavy rain and relatively cold weather, consumers felt no need to buy any substantial amounts of summer goods, he says.

The best thing retailers can do to minimise the effect of variables such as the weather is to make sure consumers are offered the best conditions for multichannel shopping, the report concludes.

A new report from Adobe shows that mobile search spending in the UK has soared by 250% in the first quarter of 2012, compared to the same period in 2011. Moreover, traffic on mobile devices has increased four times over the same period. The figures come from the Global Digital Advertising Update, published recently.

At present, mobile represents 11% of all search in the UK, compared to 8% in the US, confirming earlier research suggesting that the UK mobile search market is very strong.

Adobe’s study also reveals that the UK has seen a more modest overall search spending growth of 2%, while this has increased by 16% in the US. According to Adobe, the slower growth registered in the UK can be attributed to the uncertain economic situation in Europe. However, Jonathan Beeston, Adobe’s director of new product innovation, claims that the modest increase is no surprise bearing in mind the very strong growth registered 12 months ago.

Another important finding that emerged from the study is the growing prominence of social platforms for search, especially of Facebook, which accounts for 3% to 5% of the total search spending.

A slightly higher proportion of consumers (37%) have interacted with beauty brands online and, of those, more than two thirds have visited the brand’s website.

Mintel says that the Internet and social platforms have facilitated spreading word of mouth, as statistics show that almost 60% of UK consumers log onto their Facebook accounts and 13% sign into Twitter at least once a day. Mintel finds that nearly 10 million people visit beauty and personal care brand websites, with almost 90% of them using Google to find more information about the products they are interested in.

In terms of platforms, Facebook comes as first choice for those who wish to contact a beauty brand or discuss one, with three in four people opting for the biggest social network. However, 65% of Facebook users tend to “like” or become a fan of a product, compared to just 24% who have posted a status update on Facebook relating to a beauty or personal care brand.

Not surprisingly, women buy beauty products more often but they are also more inclined to demonstrate their loyalty to a brand online. In addition, 20% of women are willing to try a new product, while just 13% of men would do so.

This is exactly what has happened over the past 12 months as far as UK retailers are concerned. The latest poll by Verdict Research on the nation’s favourite retail brands reveals that last year’s runner-up IKEA has managed to leapfrog last year’s winner John Lewis.

Verdict’s Consumer Satisfaction Index, which combines data from more than 6,000 UK consumers, finds that IKEA excelled in two areas – range of products and price, which shot the brand right to the top of the charts.

This year clothing retailer Bonmarche managed to make it to second position, with consumers being mostly happy with the range of products and their quality. The brand targets a particular consumer group and the positive assessment it received suggests that it caters well for them, comments Maureen Hinton, practice leader at Verdict.

John Lewis still managed to secure the third position in the rankings, with the highest scores in terms of service and the second-highest in terms of quality. Play.com and H&M came fourth and fifth respectively.

Overall, there are no surprises in what consumers look for in a retail brand. The key factors that determine their attitude remain price, quality, service and range, Hinton summarises.

According to new data from research firm Kantar Worldpanel, the biggest retailer Tesco lost ground to its closest rival over a 12-week period leading up to 18 March. Asda, known for holding the runner-up position in retail tables, has reached an all-time high market share of 17.9% in domestic grocery products, the new report shows.

This marked an annual growth of 7.8%, the highest among the big four. Asda now holds an overall market share of just under 4%. According to Edward Garner, director at Kantar Worldpanel, the increase in market share can be attributed mainly to Asda taking over ex-Netto stores.

In comparison, Tesco’s growth rate stood at 2.7%, which eventually led to the brand losing market share, while the remaining two in the big four – Sainsbury’s and Morrisons – remained stable, with little change in market share from last year. These two brands reported growth rates of 4.1% and 3.4% over the period respectively.

Elsewhere, smaller-scale retailers saw the biggest gains in the grocery market, with Waitrose growing by 6.7%, Aldi by 28.5%, Lidl by 10.7% and Iceland recording a growth rate of 10.2%. Kantar Worldpanel measured grocery inflation at 5.5% and notes that consumers’ purchasing choices are still largely driven by special offers and deals.

The survey from comScore, which interviewed smartphone owners from the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy, reveals that 42% of those polled were engaged in playing games at least once in February, while almost 12% say they played games every day.

The overall percentage is above average in the UK, where more than half of smartphone owners, or about 14.2m, used their devices for gaming and 16.4% played daily. In comparison, in France, where gaming was found to be the least popular, just over 27% played games in February and 7.4% did so almost every day.

According to Hesham Al-Jehani, comScore Europe product manager for mobile, the surge in mobile gaming is mostly due to the presence of downloadable apps, which allow consumers to play games when there is no mobile web available. During such periods users can play games offline to pass the time, he says.

In addition, comScore’s report predicts growth for social media games, which were the most popular in Italy in February 2012 with a 15.5% penetration rate, while the UK comes second, with a rate of 14.2%. Overall, more than six million users across the five markets engaged in social media gaming in February, up 42% on a previous survey from six months ago.

The survey, which looked into the media habits of more than 5,500 UK consumers, found that on average they spend three and a half hours watching TV, one and a half hours being online and just under two hours listening to the radio every day. Moreover, four in five of those polled (79%) admit they simultaneously use two or more types of media in a 30-minute stretch of time. In comparison, the number of people doing so in 2010 was 76%.

Although it is a common belief that people do not communicate face-to-face any more, it seems that this is not quite the case. In fact, two-thirds of time spent communicating is still done in the conventional way, but this has dropped four percentage points from last year. Some 14% of people’s communication time is spent talking on the phone, while e-mail and social media generate 6% and 5% respectively.

In addition, Britons’ affection for social media translates into an average of more than six and a half hours spent on social networks a week, with 44% of respondents visiting such platforms at least once every seven days.

A new survey from EPiServer, which interviewed 250 UK marketing professionals on the ways they use social platforms, reveals that just 10% of businesses can measure ROI from social media, despite the fact that 75% of all polled companies either have their own social community online, or plan to start one over the next year.

In addition, it seems that many companies have been slow in adopting social media as a tool for growth, as 29% of those surveyed claim to have set up their social network accounts over the past 12 months. Still, 35% have been using the channel for over a year.

The fact that UK businesses are wary of social media is partly reflected by the small proportion of companies that have appointed dedicated people to manage and develop social media strategies. Just 22% of businesses have hired such people, which is practically no change from last year. Moreover, 40% say that they do not plan to appoint a social media manager, mostly due to lack of resources.

Among individual networks, Facebook proves to be the most popular, with two in three businesses having a company account there, followed by Twitter, with 60% of those polled. Nearly 25% operate accounts on more than one social network.

According to recent research from RichRelevance, called Shopping Insights, UK consumers across different platforms tend to display different behaviour when shopping. For example, latest data on the amount of money spent in a single transaction in March shows that on mobile consumers bought goods for an average of £109.68, while shopping on desktop computers yielded £100.05.

Most mobile purchases come from iPads, accounting for 82% of all m-commerce revenue. Still, figures reveal that iPhones registered the highest average order values in March, reaching £135.63, while values on other channels came in at £119 on other mobile devices, £111.41 on iPads and £107.70 on desktop computers.

In addition, the most expensive single items were also purchased on iPhones, with an average of £84.77 per item, compared to £74.38 on other mobile devices, £69.63 on iPad and £38.46 on desktop PCs.

When it comes to browsing, iPad users tend to see nearly 10 pages on average, while desktop users view 8.86 pages. Figures drop significantly for other mobile devices and iPhones, with an average of 5.16 and 4.34 pages respectively.

According to new research, mobile traffic reached almost 11% of the total traffic online in the third quarter of 2011. One year ago, it only accounted for 4%, which means that mobile traffic has grown by a stunning 173% over the past 12 months.

The study pointed out that one-third of all mobile traffic came from iPads in this period but the majority of sales were made on iPhones, which still remain the most common device for online shopping. However, figures for the third quarter show that tablet purchases gain on smartphone sales, which now account for 50% in total, compared to 60% last year.

iPod Touches registered the biggest drop in purchases. In 2010, 20% of all mobile sales came from iPad Touches, while in 2011 they accounted for just 3%.

The authors of the study explained that m-commerce habits are changing in 2011, with consumers preferring to research products online while they are in-store and then make their purchases online, too. A number of brands have already taken steps to encourage this trend by installing Wi-Fi in their shops.

The latest research indicates that mobile devices continue to increase their contribution to conversion, or generating a purchase, in the third quarter, with conversion rates reaching 6.6%, up from 1.9% in the same period last year.

The poll I came across this morning interviewed 1,000 people on their attitude towards the range of high-tech systems that can be found in modern vehicles, such as touchscreens, click wheels and dashboard buttons, with about a quarter of those polled having already owned such a system.

Results reveal that 72% of respondents claim they are distracted by having modern in-car technology systems and that this could interfere with their driving. However, the majority still think that having one of these systems is better than having none.

In order to find out which cars are the easiest to drive, Which? compared some of the systems from eight brands popular on the UK market, assessing them both while the car is in motion and it is still. The survey suggests that premium cars like Mercedes and BMW have systems that are the simplest to use and the least distracting, while at the same time these brands offer a full package of navigation, air-conditioning and communication devices. On the other hand, systems installed in popular cars like Peugeot and Ford prove quite difficult to operate.

Among the most confusing features of in-car systems is the fact that the same operation can be performed in a series of ways, which can have a negative impact on consumers’ attitude. Which? concludes that brands should aim to simplify the systems to ensure a less distracting experience.

According to an official statement this morning, the European Commission (EC) is starting an investigation into Project Oscar after concerns were raised over the fact that the three telecos could block other companies willing to make a presence on the mobile wallet market. The EC has 90 working days to look into potential competition issues and to decide whether Project Oscar could be given the green light.

Joaqun Almunia, Commission Vice President in charge of competition policy, states that while the EC would support initiatives aimed at promoting European m-commerce and introducing new platforms for consumers, it will not allow anti-trust agreements of any kind to interfere with the market, making sure that consumers have access to the best possible service at the best possible price.

Project Oscar is expected to allow UK consumers to buy goods and products via Near-Field-Communication (NFC) technology, using their phones. It will provide a fully integrated mobile payment system that will be available to everyone in a wide range of shops, while also offering a number of m-commerce services to businesses.

The index is based on data compiled from a wide range of industry bodies, such as agencies, brand owners and executives and media companies, among others. Figures for April, focusing on marketing spending, staffing levels and trading conditions, show that the index for Europe, Asia and North and South America is positioned at 58.1 points, compared to 57.4 in the previous month, the Warc website reports.

As far as marketing spending is concerned, the index rose to 53.7 points, up on 51.5 points in March, with the Americas reaching the highest position of 57.4 points. The index stands at 53.1 and 50.4 for Asia Pacific and Europe respectively. Not surprisingly, digital was the best performing channel, with the index reaching 78.3 points, followed by mobile on 70.2 points.

Commenting on the figures, Warc’s data editor Suzy Young says that this is the first time the index has reached over 50 for European marketing expenditure at the start of the second quarter. However, it is difficult to predict whether the positive trend will persist in the months to come, Young concludes.

Elsewhere, the index for trading conditions reached a total of 62.1 points, up on 60.8 in March, while staffing levels fell slightly to 58.5 points in April, from 59.8 in the previous month.

Data shows that in January 80% of Internet users in Britain, or 34.2m people, saw a total of 8.4bn videos lasting for 58.8bn minutes. Despite the fact that the audience has not grown overall over the past six months, the number of videos seen has increased by 28% and the time that consumers spend on this activity has soared by 42%.

Perhaps more important for us, marketers, is the increase in the number of people watching video ads online, with almost two in three users now watching video ads. The younger users, aged 15 to 24, are the most enthusiastic viewers as far as the number of unique visits and engagement.

The benchmark study reveals no surprises in terms of most heavily trafficked video sites. Google-operated pages are still the most visited in the UK, with almost 30m unique visits, accounting for 3.7bn videos for 15.9bn minutes. YouTube remains unrivalled at the top, accounting for 99.5% of all videos seen on Google’s sites, followed by music video platform VEVO and Facebook.

Over the past few years, e-commerce has grown dramatically and more than 35m UK citizens have made a transaction online in the past year. A recent prediction from IRMG suggests that £7.75bn will be spent online in just over a month, from Cyber Monday to New Year’s Eve. Credit card fraud rates have dropped significantly, mostly because of bank initiatives and better knowledge on protection from cardholders.

Last year, credit card fraud brought total losses of over £365m, which marked a 40% drop from £609m in 2008. However, in an attempt to bring fraud rates further down, the UK Cards Association has issued a series of guidelines, targeted at young women mostly.

Consumers are advised to install an up-to-date anti-virus computer program, which is set to the highest possible level of protection. Shopping websites, without a padlock symbol next to the URL should be avoided and the credit card should be registered Verified by Visa, MasterCard SecureCode, or American Express SafeKey. After making a purchase, consumers should log out of their account and keep the confirmation e-mail as evidence of their order.

The study polled more than 2,700 shoppers and revealed that the majority own a mobile device and are happy use it. About one-third use mobile devices to view details about products they are interested in, by scanning their barcodes while they are in-store.

According to Mark Lee-Amies at Deloitte, while not many retailers offer this functionality at present, more are expected to introduce it, in order to take advantage of shoppers’ willingness to combine sources of information.

The research also shows that a quarter of those polled appreciated the chance to get coupons directly from their phone, while one in six say they read product reviews on their phones. A similar proportion have already bought items via a mobile device in the course of the past 12 months.

Nearly a third of UK shoppers have posted positive reviews about a product or a service on a social platform or a blog, which marks a 30% annual increase. Surprisingly, this metric reaches 70% for more senior consumers, aged 55 and over.

Approximately two in three shoppers have discovered a new product as a direct result of online recommendations, while 68% have been discouraged from buying an item by negative comments read online. Almost three quarters of respondents agree that reviews on the Internet are a key factor in making a purchasing decision.

TheAgency team have extensive experience in the financial services sector, having developed similar direct response advertising initiatives for insurers and banks in the past. Digital channels now make up the majority of the media landscape, and integrating online and offline communications is essential when planning the optimum customer experience, and looking to convert a higher percentage of sales.

“We are delighted to have appointed TheAgency, as they bring strong financial and online retail experience to the marketing team. Teachers Assurance has a long history in providing information, education and support to those in the education sector. Our products and services are designed to help teachers benefit from greater financial security, which in turn helps them to enjoy life more. As a mutual organisation we exist for the benefit of our members and are committed to building on previous success. TheAgency are well placed to bring our business strategy to life, creatively and technically” says Wendie Michie, Commercial Director at Teachers Assurance.

TheAgency, now in its fifth year, has had considerable success helping a number of household brand names regain their market leading positions, having been appointed and retained by British School of Motoring in 2009 and Del Monte Europe in 2010.

“The convergence of media channels and the onset of new technology means there are many more ways for companies to engage their future customers and vice versa. Any successful communications strategy now has digital at its heart, but the real skill lies in integrating online and offline channels, and unifying the overall brand experience for people. Teachers Assurance has a phenomenally strong brand and reputation with teachers and their members alike. Everything we do will be designed to leverage that reputation, help understand and service their members needs online and advance their business” says Saman Mansourpour, Partner at TheAgency.