The Torygraph reports that Marks and Spencer is launching a website designed specifically for mobile phones.

“Britain’s old dame of the High Street is entering the brave new world…” the article begins, conveniently ignoring the fact that this is a logical next step for the company. M&S is, after all, a leading multi-channel retailer with an e-commerce site that regularly performs well in the IMRG/Hitwise Hot Shops List.

“Even before the site has launched, hundreds of thousands of customers are already shopping with us on their mobile phones and market data is telling us that this will soon be millions. The new site allows these customers to browse and buy from their mobile device without the frustrations that come with trying to do the same on a traditional website,” says Dave Hughes, director at M&S Direct.

Hopefully more retailers will follow suit. Much has been made about the impact of smartphones and the explosion in iPhone apps, but traditional websites are still nigh on impossible to navigate via mobile phones. M-commerce is moving at a phenomenal rate and I’m sure the user experience will get slicker in the near future, but for the time being a mobile visit to many retailers’ sites remains off limits, being both clunky and frustrating.