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M-commerce accounts for entirety of online shopping growth

Wednesday, September 25, 2013 - 12:05 by Paul Tissington

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A new report from Capgemini has identified the intriguing fact that m-commerce sales now account for all growth which is being seen in shopping online, showing that desktop is no longer the driving force behind this market.

Over the past two years, the average growth of e-commerce sales has been 15 per cent, although it seems that when mobile is considered independently, there has actually been little uptick in activity.

Since m-commerce now accounts for about a quarter of sales made via safe shopping online, the growing influence of this type of platform is obvious.

And while it might look like the wind has been taken out of desktop e-commerce, it is not because consumers are losing interest in online shopping. Rather, the vast majority of sales growth has shifted to mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets.

The typical British consumer is now not only choosing to shop from their portable gadget rather than their home PC, but they are also carrying out more and more of their purchases through this mobile platform.

The flat growth in desktop sales means that the market has perhaps hit a plateau, while rising mobile interactions might eventually cause it to decline. The picture will become clearer once the final performance figures for 2014 are compiled early next year.

But what does all this mean for shoppers? Well, it is apparent that consumer habits are driving change in the market, rather than retailers taking the lead, so the future shifts will come down to the decisions you make.

M-commerce has been an empowering arrival for shoppers, allowing them not only to buy online while on the move, but also compare prices when out and about on the high street, which gives it a clear advantage over desktop shopping.