37% of UK mobile phone users have used their phone to purchase a product or service direct to their phone bill

"New research from the Internet Advertising Bureau – the trade association for online and mobile advertising – reveals that mobile commerce has already become widely adopted in the UK, with 51% of mobile owners (23 million people) using their device to make payments, redeem coupons or research products and services. The study shows once again the urgent need for retailers to catch up with the mobile consumer and enhance the user experience to ensure they don’t miss out on sales.
The study – based on a nationally representative sample of over 1000 mobile owners and carried out by work research - was designed to investigate genuine consumer engagement with m-commerce in the UK. It found that 43% of respondents had used mobile to conduct research for a purchase, whilst 40% have used their mobile phone to check shop details such as contact information, location and opening hours. Usability was found to be key, with those who find research easy 16% more likely to make a purchase than those who don’t.
The study shows just how significant the mobile phone now is within the path to purchase, as well as how increasingly sophisticated mobile consumer behaviour has become, showing that:
Consumers are buying already. 37% of people have used their mobile to purchase a service/product direct to their phone bill. Within this, 32% have paid for downloaded content, 21% have used a shortcode to pay for a product/service, and 13% entered a phone number to pay for a product/service."
Source:  Press release from the IAB, re-produced in full by Mobile Europe blog, 18th October 2010