The Rise Of Mobile Shopping: How Smartphones Shape Ecommerce
Smartphone commerce sales are on the rise, according to eMarketer, and are estimated to account for 34% of all U.S. ecommerce sales in 2019.
Sizable Growth For Mobile Retail Sales
Desktop purchases still hold prominent value in the ecommerce market (52.4%), projected to account for $331.85 billion in sales this year, but their growth has slowed tremendously to 5% year-over-year.
On the other hand, mobile commerce sales are on the rise, projected to grow 37.7% from last year to account for $203.94 billion this year. M-commerce sales on smartphones are projected to more than double by 2022.
An additional $63.12 billion in online sales will be generated this year by the 103.6 million mobile buyers who use their tablets to make purchases. Consumers are converting at higher rates on tablets, but these sales are only growing at 9.9%. While tablet purchases are growing faster than desktop, they’re still gaining share notably slower than smartphone sales. That’s because more than half of smartphone users in the U.S. will use their mobile devices to make purchases this year, and the average spend per smartphone shopper will rise to $1,763.
M-Commerce Consumer Trends
Younger consumers, like Millennials and Gen Zers, are more likely to turn to their smartphones for retail purchases than their older counterparts.
Young Consumers Buy Via Brand Apps
As of a February survey, 61% of individuals between 18- and 34-years old, who likely grew up with or were early adopters of smartphones and similar technology, used mobile retail apps to make purchases within the last 30 days. A brand’s mobile app is a popular method for ecommerce purchases according to Adobe’s 2019 Brand Content Survey.
Older Consumers Rely On Mobile Web For Purchases
Though brand apps are often most popular for younger consumers’ m-commerce purchases, mobile web is not an avenue to be ignored for older generations like Gen Xers and Baby Boomers. While young consumers gravitate more toward apps, older generations make more purchases through mobile websites.
Brands Focus On Mobile Strategies
According to a Shopgate report, brands should aim to “bridge the online and offline experience gap through mobile,” and it seems many retailers are already taking that advice. 50% of retailers “list a mobile shopping app as a top priority,” Retail Dive reported, proving brands are recognizing and adapting to online shopping via smartphones as a crucial revenue stream.
As consumers turn to their mobile devices for everything from phone calls to social media and now retail shopping via apps, m-commerce is projected to grow by nearly 40% this year.