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Last year, big news came from Google when mobile search overtook desktop. Alongside the rise of mobile searches came the inevitable algorithm dubbed โmobilegeddonโ, which supposedly affected websites that were not considered to be mobile friendly. Some having done better than others, as reported by Search Engine Watch.
Now we are almost a year on from the algorithm update and the use of mobile devices continues to grow, recent data from the IMRG Capgemini Quarterly Benchmarking report has discovered that over 50% of retail sales were made on smartphones and tablets throughout Q4.
This is a staggering 51% of retail sales in the UK were made on mobile devices, a figure which has risen from 45% in Q3, and 40% in Q4 the previous year.
The breakdown of UK online sales for 2015/16 Q4 is shown below:
49 % Desktop/Laptop
49 % Tablets
49 % Smartphones
Richard Tremellen, Retail Insight and Data Specialist, Capgemini, said: โThis is a very significant milestone in the history of the online retail sector and reflects the work retailers have put into improving the customer experience on smartphones.โ
According to the report, the growth in users making purchases through mobile devices is down to an increase in confidence in using smartphones for online shopping. The boost in confidence is likely to come down to the fact that mobile devices are increasingly a part of our everyday lives, so much that they are relied on for many more purposes than the basic call and text message functions that once were. The rise in responsive website designs, which focus their attention to improved UX, could also be reason for consumers to feel more confident when purchasing.
The mobile evolution is constantly evolving at an increasingly fast pace, and with an expected 6.1billion smartphone users globally by 2020 (TechCrunch), this figure is surely only going to rise.
As the Retail Business Technology Expo 2016 [RTBE] goes into full swing this week and mobile continues to outperform desktop, the lesson for retailers is to invest in the overall omnichannel, whilst measuring analytics and attribution.
Sophie Burrows
