The shopping experience has improved greatly over the years with the introduction of modern and advanced technology.

Thanks to the computer, internet and mobile devices, people now can enjoy utmost convenience in purchasing their basic needs. Who wouldnâ??t be glad about the fact that one can now search in advance for product information and get to know whatâ??s available at the stores before even going there?

The mobile gadgets today are what many consumers find very helpful in their daily lives. While moving around, smartphones in particular enable them to check out information on products and services they like and even purchase them wherever they may be in just a few taps on their portable device.

Did you know that an estimated 80 percent of the worldâ??s population now owns a mobile phone? Around the world, there are currently more than 1.08 billion users of smartphones with 91.4 million located in the U.S. Mobile phones are now in the five billion figure and among them, 1.08 billion are smartphones. Among the platforms, Android is the most widely used at 46.9 percent followed by the iPhone at 28.7 percent and RIM at 16.6 percent.

Majority or 89 percent of smartphone owners use their mobile device throughout the day. They do different things from browsing the internet, checking their emails, sending text messages, playing games, listening to music as well as downloading apps and using them.

Many consumers with smartphones who love to shop online are also excited about the numerous apps they can now use to help them in finding the best deals and purchasing their needs. For instance, a 2012 survey has found that 47 percent of consumers use their mobile gadgets to look for local information including store data, 46 percent search for prices on a storeâ??s mobile site and 42 percent check inventory before shopping. In addition, more than one in three shoppers made one purchase transaction via their smartphone from July to December 2011 while one in four purchased six times or more using their tablets.

Another study done by Chadwick Martin Bailey and iModerate Research Technologies in 2011 showed that more than 70 percent of iPhone owners used apps to help in their shopping in-store. Retrevo also found that 43 percent of mobile shoppers have downloaded a retail app while Forresterâ??s report revealed that 24 percent of U.S. adult online iPhone users and 21 percent of Android users have used a shopping app in the last quarter of 2011.

With these interesting findings, thereâ??s no doubt that the use of smartphones and apps in shopping will continue for a long time.

About the guest author:

Jessica is a freelancer who writes on retail and business technology. She has been writing for various sites on the increased use of the point of sale software and smartphone apps.