One in ten Brits will do their online Christmas shopping using their mobile phone rather than a computer this year, according to new research findings from Tesco Direct. The trend of using mobile phones for online shopping emerged in a study of 4,000 consumers. This comes as Tesco Direct gets ready to face its busiest online shopping day of the year, dubbed ‘Cyber Monday’ or ‘Manic Monday’ by retailers.

Busy work schedules and hectic lives will see millions of savvy bargain-hunters use their smartphone to find the latest deals for Christmas presents, the research shows. Nearly half will shop online using their phones while watching TV, one in six expect to buy something on their phone while sat on the bus and a quarter will log on to shopping sites through their mobiles during their daily commute.

The study was commissioned to examine the changing Christmas shopping habits of the nation following the launch of Tesco Direct’s new mobile web service, designed to facilitate easy shopping for customers directly through their phones.

Ian Crook, CMO for tesco.com comments: “Tesco Direct is expecting to ship more than 80,000 items today as we face our busiest day of the year for online orders. For the first time this year we anticipate a significant amount of these orders to be placed by customers using their mobile phones, because customers like the convenience of shopping on the go.”

The nationwide poll found 78 per cent are planning to do some of their Christmas shopping online this year and seven in ten think it’s the best way to buy presents. More than a third (36 per cent) said using their mobile would reduce stress levels and mean they could fit shopping in and around their busy lives.

Ian Crook continues: “In October alone, we had over half a million people visit the Tesco Direct website using their mobile phones and in the run up to Christmas we’re expecting this number to surge as people order their gifts from Tesco Direct. Our new mobile web service makes it easier for our customers to search for and buy presents at competitive prices and as our research shows it has potential to take away some of the stress of shopping.”

Simply avoiding the Christmas crowds was the biggest reason for turning to the internet, with 71 per cent saying they can’t stand battling queues in the shops. Another 44 per cent like to use the web to search for the best price.

 Tesco Direct top selling Christmas toys for 2010

• Toy Story Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear
• Lego Star Wars Imperial Star Destroyer
• Kung Zhu Hamsters

The research also found that:

• In the lead up to Christmas, 73 per cent are worried about the escalating cost of it all as they face tight budgets
• Six in ten don’t know what to buy people
• Half are stressed around Christmas
• Nearly half (45 per cent) said they struggle fitting present shopping in around their job and family commitments
• Seven per cent admitted to online shopping it when they should be working, and one in ten will hit the online shops during their lunch hours
• Two thirds polled said they typically leave their shopping to the last minute
• Online shopping saves the average Brit six hours of traipsing around the high street

The Tesco Direct mobile website was launched earlier this month to make it easier for people to shop online using smartphones. It features simple-to-explore product categories, which are easily navigated through a series of expandable tabs. It allows customers to:

• Sign into /register for a Tesco Direct account
• Search through the complete Tesco Direct product range
• Read all the product features
• Add products to the shopping basket
• Explore delivery options and book a delivery slot
• Locate the closest store
• Read buying guides and product warranties
• Look at product warranties
• Add or remove products from an existing order
• Check out and complete the order

To use the Tesco Direct mobile website, visit www.direct.tesco.com from any mobile phone that can access the internet.

The last Christmas delivery date for Tesco Direct is 22 December.  The last day for large Tesco Direct orders guaranteed to be delivered before Christmas is 16 December by 12 noon (for items like white goods or furniture).