Major UK supermarket chain Morrisons is looking to increase its online presence by building a new mobile-enabled website and iPhone app, a move aimed at possibly allowing its customers to buy their shopping virtually in the future, a service it hasn’t provided before.
The supermarket comes into the mobile market a little latter than its competition; Ocado and Tesco already enjoy a large mobile userbase who regularly use its apps to complete the weekly shop. Marks and Spencer and Sainsbury’s offer apps but don’t currently allow users to add items to their mobile baskets.
A recent report published by Tesco, highlighted that this year one in ten Brits will use their mobile to shop for Christmas presents. Consumers are finding it difficult to take time out of their busy schedules to make necessary purchases and so are turning to online shopping methods, increasingly via their mobile phones.
As New Media Age points out, Morrison’s move into the mobile market will leave only Asda as the only major supermarket without a presence on mobile. Tesco is the only supermarket that offers a full mobile presence with apps on different platforms and a mobile-enabled site for both groceries and its Tesco Direct outlet.
Currently, the iPhone app and mobile website are not live. We contacted Morrisons for comment on whether its iPhone app would allow customers to shop virtually. At the moment, Morrisons plans to offer an app dedicated to building its presence on mobile devices, we are awaiting confirmation on whether it will look to offer delivery services in the future.
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.