Half of UK workers to use their smartphone to shop on the web in 2011

A recent study from ISACA found half of U.K. workers will use their smartphones to shop online for Christmas this year. Of online shoppers surveyed, 13 percent said they prefer ecommerce sites to stores because they believe the sites are faster, while 30 percent stated online stores are easier.

In addition, 10 percent of online shoppers said they use a dedicated retail app on their mobile devices, while 75 percent of those with apps said they turn off the tracking service for fear of falling victim to identity theft.

To cater to the growing population of mobile shoppers, John Lewis recently launched a transactional iPhone app that consumers can use for last-minute holiday gifts and price comparisons. The app gives consumers access to more than 200,000 products available on the John Lewis website and comes with a barcode scanner so shoppers can get more detailed product info while they are in stores.

The app also provides shoppers with peer ratings and product reviews, along with a history of viewed products and GPS maps so customers can retrieve directions to stores.