Goods bought over smartphones and ordered for delivery by UK courier services are likely to become an increasingly crucial part of the retail landscape, according to the UK retail director of eBay.

Angus McCarey told Econsultancy ten per cent of eBay's UK sales had came over a mobile device this year, indicating people's comfort with using the medium for online shopping.

He added that smartphones gave consumers new options when shopping on the high street, such as scanning an item's barcode to order it for home delivery or testing its value against other options.

Mr McCarey's comments come after eBay trialled a boutique pop-up store in London's West End, which offered a number of different items for shoppers to browse through and order online using their smartphones.

"As new technologies emerge and integrate with one another, this year is shaping up to be another significant year for those looking to harness the mobile dividend," added the eBay director.

Author:  Adrian Medland