Only six per cent of CFOs see mobile as their brand’s greatest opportunity for growth in 2013, according to the Barclays Online Business Outlook 2013. By contrast 82 per cent see existing websites as their main focus.
Some 64 per cent of online businesses in the U.K. believe a mobile strategy is an important factor in their business success. However, 89 per cent of online businesses have not yet developed their website for mobile devices.
British businesses are ignoring the fact online businesses that have developed mobile sites or apps generated 27.8 per cent of their revenue from mobile in 2012, an average of £2,474,000 per annum.
Only one in 10 online businesses have a mobile app or mobile-ready website.
Sean Duffy, managing director and head of technology, media and telecoms at Barclays said he was concerned that growth was at risk by companies not keeping up with shifts in consumer behaviour, an in particular the shift to mobile commerce.
He said: “These [online] companies are very good, but they live in a very fast changing market. The need to innovate and stay ahead is exacerbated by consumers migrating to mobile, and the migration to mobile is only going to speed up with the move to 4G.”
Still, over half of respondents (55 per cent) did not believe there was any risk to their business if they ignored the advantages of higher speed 4G networks.
