A third of online sales now made via mobile devices
A new study has found that one in three of all UK online sales are now made on a mobile device.
Latest results from the IMRG Capgemini Quarterly Benchmarking (Q4 2013/4) reveal that from November 2013 to January 2014, m-retail accounted for 32% of online sales with 6% of sales made via smartphones and 26% via tablet devices. This compares with 27% overall m-retail penetration in the previous quarter and represents 18% growth between Q3 and Q4. Visits to e-retail websites via mobile devices also increased and now account for 45% of traffic.
The results show that online clothing and fashion retailers achieved a higher mobile commerce penetration rate, with 36% of sales completed via smartphones and tablets during the fourth quarter. Mobile visits to clothing websites also reached a tipping point with over half of traffic now coming via mobile devices.
Tina Spooner, chief information Officer at IMRG, said: “With an estimated 12 million tablet devices sold in the UK alone last year, and 70% of UK consumers now owning a smartphone, it is not surprising that the penetration of mobile commerce has reached a third of the UK online retail market. In fact, the latest Quarterly Benchmarking results reveal the penetration of m-retail has surged 2,000% in just three years.
Never Miss a Retail Update!“Consumer confidence in mobile continues to increase and improvements in mobile optimisation and the user experience are certainly factors in this. We expect this trend to continue throughout 2014, with visits set to surpass desktop usage over the coming months”.
Chris Webster, head of retail at Capgemini, said growth in sales via mobile devices had been helped by retailers investing heavily in making m-commerce sites more intuitive and user friendly.
However, he warned that there were still some challenges remaining, saying: “As our shopping behaviours shift from a traditional e-retail model to mobile, retailers will need to overcome the consistently high basket abandonment rates, as well as the significant number of items that are returned. So while enormous strides have been made, opportunities to materially improve performance remain.”
