The mobile revolution is nothing new: we’ve known for the past two years that mobile internet usage was on the rise, with Google’s announcement that it would implement a default mobile index in 2018 the ultimate confirmation of this sea change. What is new, however, is the role smartphones now play in e-commerce with shoppers using their devices at all stages of the buyer’s journey, from research and comparison to checkout.

Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday confirmed the unquestionable truth with Adobe reporting a record 39.9% of web traffic to retail sites originating from smartphones on Cyber ​​Monday, with a record 1.13 billion visits. GBP of sales made on mobile devices: a whopping 12% higher than previous years.

popular devices

Unsurprisingly from the market leader, Apple devices lead the way when it comes to using smartphones for e-commerce. Cyber ​​Monday figures show that Apple users also spent more on their smartphones than their Android counterparts, suggesting that e-commerce retailers could be better served by optimizing sites and marketing campaigns for those. with iPhones.

Number of people accessing e-commerce sites from their smartphone

eMarketer estimates that more than half of all digital shoppers in the UK transact via a smartphone, making e-commerce a significant part of all online sales. In fact, the report suggests that mCommerce accounts for up to £35.31 billion in revenue. This number is also expected to grow as consumers become more comfortable transacting from their smartphone and mobile payment options become more sophisticated. By 2021, mCommerce is projected to be the majority source of retail sales, with forecasts suggesting that it will be responsible for 56% of total mCommerce retail sales.

Smartphone Visit Conversions

Despite the rise in smartphone use and the rapid growth of mobile commerce, smartphone conversion rates can still be hard to pinpoint and, in some industries, are not as high as you might expect. However, there is a similar explanation for this: consumers are omnichannel creatures by nature, and there is a long-established pattern of multi-screen usage.

Mobile conversion rates are currently lower than desktop, with figures from Marketing Land suggesting that smartphones are responsible for just 20% of conversions. When you consider that mobile dominates actual screen time, this figure seems surprisingly low. What is important to remember, however, is the role that smartphones play in the discovery and research process, driving the ultimate conversion from desktop or tablet computers.

Smartphones are particularly helpful in micro-moments with data suggesting that optimizing key facets of the mobile experience can lead to conversion increases. Focusing on improving page load speed, for example, is critical to keeping smartphone users engaged, while responsive design elements like large buttons remove much of the friction that prevents mobile conversions. .