More than a third of all online sales are now made on a mobile device – that’s smartphones and tablets, fact fan – as m-commerce continues to increase its share of the UK e-retail market, according to the latest results from the IMRG Capgemini Quarterly Benchmarking.
The proportion (34%) is up from 20% in the same period last year and compares with just 1% m-retail penetration during 2010. In fact, the latest findings represent staggering growth of 3,400% in m-commerce penetration over the past 4 years. Visits to e-retail websites via mobile devices are also increasing, with around half (48%), now coming via smartphone and tablet devices. This compares with 30% in the first quarter of 2013 and 45% in the previous quarter.
Tina Spooner, Chief Information Officer at IMRG, explains: “The latest Quarterly Benchmarking results highlight the increasing importance of m-commerce to online retailers in the UK. The widespread adoption of mobile devices is helping to drive growth in m-retail visits to a tipping point and, although growth in m-commerce itself is settling, this is unsurprising when we consider these results are coming off an increasingly higher base.
Chris Webster, VP, Consumer Retail and Technology, Capgemini, adds: “These results illustrate just how integral a role mobile now plays in our shopping journey, and one which is only set to increase. Retailers have taken huge strides over the last few years, rapidly evolving their m-commerce platforms to match the expectations of their customers, enabled by the available technology. Where retailers once invested in m-commerce platforms to gain a competitive edge, such is the ubiquity of the technology, the playing field could now be considered almost level.”
