E-commerce sales continue to rise as smartphones stimulate growth

Monday, April 25, 2016 - 09:38 by Graham Miller

Last month there was an 11 per cent year on year increase in purchases made online, according to the latest figures published by IMRG Capgemini.

This brings the growth of the e-commerce market as a whole in the first three months of 2016 to 15 per cent, meaning that this year is already looking likely to outpace 2015.

Smartphone shopping remained the biggest growing part of the e-commerce market, with sales doubling in March compared with the same month last year. Meanwhile, the report also indicated that tablet use is not maintaining the same momentum, with sales from devices like the iPad rising by just six per cent.

The implication is that consumers are much more confident about carrying out safe shopping online from their smartphones. And with bigger displays and more powerful processors, the e-commerce experience on mobile devices is matching and even outdoing what can be achieved with a tablet.

Report spokesperson, Tina Spooner, said that the rapid rise in sales via smartphones was being helped by improving conversion rates, while on average a typical e-commerce transaction is now worth £85.

She also pointed out that the surge in popularity of mobile shopping was forcing retailers to change their tactics and ensure that they are catering for smartphone users.

A number of product categories experienced higher than average increases in sales last month, with home and garden items seeing a 26 per cent boost in activity, hitting a two year high as demand soared.

Analysts and retailers alike are increasingly aware of how much consumer habits are shifting and reshaping the market at the moment. And with the ongoing growth in smartphone shopping, even the dominance of desktop computers looks likely to take a tumble in the future.