British businesses have been urged to do more to prepare for the arrival of 4G.
Sean Duffy, who is head of technology at Barclays Bank, has claimed that the arrival of super-fast internet in the UK will encourage even more consumers to shop online using mobile devices.
In an interview with bmmagazine.co.uk, he encouraged businesses to prepare for the proliferation of 4G routers by ensuring their website is fully-optimised for mobile devices.
He said: “We’re already seeing a growing trend for consumers to browse on their mobile or tablet rather than their PC and while the introduction of 4G networks is unlikely to cause technical problems for online businesses, it is likely to accelerate this trend.
“Companies that are already prepared for consumers to use their sites from a mobile device stand to gain a significant competitive advantage. It isn’t enough to simply replicate the big screen PC experience for mobile devices.”
According to cable.co.uk, Duffy was reacting to research that suggested nine out of ten online businesses were yet to optimise their website for mobile devices. That’s despite over a third of businesses reporting growth in mobile traffic since the turn of the year.
The research, conducted by Barclays, revealed that more than half of Brits bought a product online using a mobile device last year.
