Mobile now accounts for 40% of all online sales

New figures have shown that 40% of UK online retail sales in the three months to January 2015 were completed through tablets and smartphones.

According to the latest research from IMRG and Capgemini, this figure is up from 37% in the previous quarter, and marks the steepest quarterly rise in the rate of mobile retail penetration since Q4 2013/14, when mobile devices accounted for 32% of online sales.

The figures also show that confidence in using smartphones for buying online seems to be growing with 25% of mobile sales completed through the devices and 75% through tablets over the past three months. This compares with a split of 80% for tablets and 20% for smartphones a year earlier in Q4 2013/14.

Adgild Hop, retail director at Capgemini, said: “Whereas smartphones continue to evolve in leaps and bounds, tablet devices are reaching what could be considered a plateau, and to an extent merely serve as a replacement to the home PC. With ongoing investments, ever-expanding screens, and increasingly ubiquitous connectivity, I don’t think it will be too long before smartphones overtake tablets as the prominent mobile shopping device. However, the potential impact of the smartphone on the in-store shopping experience will be a key area of innovation and development in the coming months.”

Tina Spooner, chief information officer at IMRG, added: “The smartphone has generally been regarded as a research tool for comparing prices and checking information primarily. Yet the number of m-retail sales completed via these devices has risen from one in five to one in four in the space of a year, and we’ve seen mobile conversion rates rise significantly over the same period as UK shoppers now clearly feel confident in using their smartphones for completing purchases.”

Source : The Retail Bulletin

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