Analysts predict even greater m-commerce revenues this Christmas

Tuesday, November 27, 2012 - 09:16 by Graham Miller

As e-commerce activities ramp up across the UK in anticipation of Christmas, various companies are also vying to see which can produce the most accurate predictions in relation to just how much money will be spent via portable devices this festive season.

A new study from Deloitte has predicted that up to 3.5 billion of sales made at bricks and mortar outlets will be directly impacted by the use of smart devices like mobiles and tablets.

This means that about 10 per cent of total high street sales made ahead of Christmas 2012 will be based on research carried out through portable gadgets.

When looking at the wider market and how smartphones and tablets play a role, a further 3.2 billion in sales will be influenced indirectly by them, according to analysts.

This means that people will not only be using their handsets to shop online, but will also spend their cash on the high street, after being influenced by information gleaned from a smartphone.

Earlier this month, IMRG revealed that over 900 million in sales will be made direct from smart devices this Christmas, but it is clear that the far reaching impact of m-commerce needs to be appreciated on a broader scale.

Of the total mobile sales, about 500 million is set to originate specifically from tablets, which indicates that these gadgets are playing an important role in safe shopping online and on the high street.

Ultimately, many more people will be receiving smartphones and tablets as gifts this year, which means that the market has further room to grow in 2013, giving m-commerce even more power.

By 2016, Deloitte predicts that about 18 per cent of the market, or 43 billion in sales, will be influenced by m-commerce.