Mobile online shopping overtakes desktops for the first time in UK

Visits to retail websites via mobile devices had for the first time surged ahead of desktop traffic according to figures, The Guardian reported.

Around 52 per cent of visits were made via a mobile, while 36 per cent of UK online sales were now completed on a smartphone or tablet device, increasing to 40 per cent for clothing sellers, according to the latest IMRG Capgemini Quarterly Benchmarking Report.

Of sales completed on a mobile device, smartphones accounted for around 18 per cent while tablets accounted for 82 per cent.

The report quoted IMRG chief information officer, Tina Spooner as saying, with over half of all e-retail traffic now coming via smartphones and tablet devices, the latest results revealed a huge landmark in the growth of mobile commerce.

Spooner added, considering that as recently as 2010 mobile visits to e-retail sites accounted for less than 3 per cent of traffic, this latest milestone represented staggering growth of 2,000 per cent over the past four years.

The report further showed that the total estimated online spending from May to July stood at £24.2 billion, with £8.7 billion spent via smartphones and tablet devices.

Retailers of clothing and apparel see 40 per cent of their sales being made via mobile.

Mark Lewis, online director at John Lewis, said, over half of the traffic to johnlewis.com came from mobile and tablet devices with the company seeing an increase in the conversion rate of traffic to sales.

He added the company had place a significant focus on developing its mobile strategy and had more enhancements planned for its app later this year.

He said customers needed to be able to shop seamlessly across all channels and mobile was now the go-to choice alongside visiting its shops.