The Sage Pay Business Benchmark Report: Mobile Commerce Comes of Age and Breathes Life Into UK Business Growth

LONDON, February 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

• 73% of businesses now optimised for mobile commerce, with 18% spending upwards of £1000 on the transition into mobile
• Mobile-fuelled growth is on the rise with a quarter of respondents with dedicated apps reporting between 10% and 19% of their sales from mobile devices
• Mobile innovation set to double next year with 48% of respondents planning apps in next year
• Facebook a lower priority with only 36% planning to set-up a dedicated store

Mobile commerce is no longer 'coming next year' - it's here, and it's driving sales for British e-businesses, according to an industry-leading survey by the UK's leading payment processor, Sage Pay. The third annual Sage Pay e-Business Benchmark Report of 1,500 online businesses in the UK shows a jump in the past 12 months in businesses championing mobile apps and optimisation - with encouraging results.

The report findings reveal that large e-businesses are rapidly adapting to the rise in mobile, with 22% building mobile apps in the last year and 73% choosing to optimise their sites for mobile commerce.

A quarter of app-enabled businesses are now seeing 10% to 19% of sales coming via mobile devices, and over half of all respondents boasting apps (56%) are generating up to 10% of transactions through the add on.

Simon Black, CEO of Sage Pay, said: "As the UK e-commerce market continues to mature, the margins between success and failure become even finer. In this year's report, the differentiators we saw a year ago are now the norm across all retailers. This pressure to stay at the cutting edge is driving UK e-commerce to new levels of sophistication.

"The results of the report prove that taking advantage of the mobile opportunity is critical to stimulating economic growth in the UK. With almost half of the businesses surveyed planning to introduce mobile apps in the coming months, Britain is poised for a bright future at the leading edge of mobile innovation."

On the social front, Facebook continues to play a role in the evolution of online commerce activities - although to a lesser extent than its mobile counterparts. Just 15% of survey respondents have a Facebook store with embedded payment pages and only 36% of respondents plan to set one up within the year. Of the 24% that don't have Facebook, the main reason given was lack of relevance for their business or perceived ability to generate sales over and above the website.

* Sage Pay has defined a small e-business as one conducting fewer than 5,000 transactions per quarter and a large e-business as transacting over 5,000 transactions per quarter.

For further information, please visit: http://www.benchmarkyourebusiness.com

Notes to Editor

About Sage Pay

Sage Pay is Europe's leading independent payment service provider (PSP) and is one of the most trusted payment brands.  Every year Sage Pay processes billions of pounds worth of secure payments for its 40,000 customers and makes the process of accepting payments online, over the phone, or in person simpler, faster, safer and more profitable for businesses.
 
Sage Pay is a subsidiary of FTSE 100 business management software and services company The Sage Group plc.

For further information please visit http://www.sagepay.com

About The Sage Group plc.

The Sage Group plc. is a leading global provider of business management software to small and medium sized companies, creating greater freedom for them to succeed. Sage understands how and why each business is unique. We provide products and services that suit varying needs, are a pleasure to use and are secure and efficient. Formed in 1981, Sage was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989 and entered the FTSE 100 in 1999. Sage has over 6 million customers and more than 13,600 employees in 24 countries covering the UK & Ireland, mainland Europe, North America, South Africa, Australia, Asia and Brazil.

For further information please visit http://www.sage.com

For more information, please contact:
Marlin PR
sage@marlinpr.com / +44(0)207-932-5580
Amy Monro
Sage Pay Europe Ltd
Amy.monro@sagepay.com