More Europeans shopping from mobiles and tablets this Christmas

Wednesday, November 13, 2013 - 13:58 by Paul Tissington

A new report from Adobe has highlighted the significant increases in m-commerce activity which are anticipated for the end of the year in the run up to Christmas.

The study estimates that 12.4 per cent of all purchases made via safe shopping online by European consumers will be generated by portable devices, including smartphones and tablets.

This is a 68 per cent annual increase and an indication of just how important m-commerce has become to the continental retail industry.

The use of smartphones for shopping online will undergo the most significant growth, with analysts estimating that levels will have almost doubled this year, compared to 2012.

The 60 per cent boost anticipated for tablet-based purchases is a little lower, but still a strong signal of the growing influence of these m-commerce platforms.

Contrary to other reports, Adobe's study predicts that December 9th will be the year's busiest day for e-commerce, with sales almost tripling, compared to the average 24 hour period in 2013.

In the UK, it is instead thought that December 2nd will see more people buying online than at any other point.

Report spokesperson, Mark Phibbs, said that while smartphones are being used for online shopping sales in greater numbers than tablets, each tablet user is actually spending more online than their mobile-toting equivalent.

It could well be the case that people are switching between smartphones and tablets as part of their standard retail activities, using one then the other to choose their products, compare prices and then go through with a purchase.

The UK leads Europe when it comes to m-commerce, with over a fifth of online sales over the Christmas period expected to be made from portable gadgets, which is more than double the number anticipated in France and Germany.