Poll: Do you buy goods online using your mobile phone?
Visits to retail websites via mobile devices have overtaken desktop traffic for the first time ever, figures show.
Some 52 per cent of visits were made via a mobile, while 36 per cent of UK online sales are now completed on a smartphone or tablet device – rising to 40 per cent for clothing and apparel sellers, the latest IMRG Capgemini Quarterly Benchmarking Report has revealed.
Of sales completed on a mobile device, smartphones account for around 18 per cent and tablets 82 per cent
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IMRG chief information officer Tina Spooner said: "With over half of all e-retail traffic now coming via smartphones and tablet devices, the latest results reveal a huge landmark in the growth of mobile commerce. Considering that as recently as 2010 mobile visits to e-retail sites accounted for less than three per cent of traffic, this latest milestone represents staggering growth of 2,000 per cent over the past four years."
The report also shows that the total estimated online spend during May to July was £24.2 billion, with £8.7 billion spent via smartphones and tablet devices.
Capgemini digital services leader and vice president Alex Smith-Bingham said: "Whether you're shopping on your tablet from the comfort of your couch or on your smartphone during your daily commute, mobile offers the customer unparalleled convenience. It's no wonder then that we've hit such a significant milestone in a relatively short period of time.
" As retailers further develop their m-commerce platforms and as the technology becomes increasingly more sophisticated, we'll see the role of the desktop in our day-to-day shopping cycle diminish."
John Lewis online director Mark Lewis said: "We called John Lewis's first ever 'mobile Christmas' in 2013 and we have continued to see customers shop via this channel during the first half of this year.
"Today, over half of the traffic to johnlewis.com comes from mobile and tablet devices and we've also seen an increase in sales. We've placed a significant focus on developing our mobile strategy."
