Mobile sales experience 2,000% growth in 3 years

New data released by IMRG and Capgemini has revealed the overwhelming influence of mobile devices on the online sales market over the past few years, causing m-retail to account for an impressive 32% of online sales towards the end of 2013.

According to the IMRG Capgemini Quarterly Benchmarking (Q4 2013/4) report , the Christmas period was a busy one for mobile devices, with November 2013 to January 2014 seeing smartphones claim 6% of online sales and tablet devices used for an impressive 26% of e-retail sales during the quarter. Overall, the figures represent 18% growth in m-retail between Q3 and Q4.

As well as this, visits to e-retail websites via mobile devices also grew to represent 45% of traffic. Specifically, online clothing and fashion retailers are experiencing a rising rate of high mobile commerce penetration, with 36% of sales completed via smartphones and tablets during Q4. Mobile visits to apparel website also saw over half of traffic coming via mobile devices.

Tina Spooner, Chief Information Officer at IMRG, commented: “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.

“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”.

The data further cements the importance of implementing attractive mobile-optimised sites for brands and companies looking to attract busy consumers visiting from a number of different devices. Websites must be easy to use and simplistic yet attractive to entice internet users from around the globe.