E-commerce transactions conducted via mobile devices could reach 40% globally by the end of the year, reports performance marketing technology company Criteo.

The French outfit released its Q1 2015 State of Mobile Commerce Report this week, revealing that mobile is now responsible for the majority of all e-commerce transactions in advanced markets such as Japan and South Korea.

The report’s findings are based on an analysis of individual transaction-level data from over $160 billion in global sales.

The findings also reveal that the surge in mobile commerce can in part be accredited to consumers viewing the same amount of products on both desktops and mobile devices.

Criteo also suggest that to remain at the forefront of the ever-changing e-commerce landscape, advertisers must ensure that they are able to offer a compelling and user-friendly mobile site.

Accelerating the trend

Smartphones, rather than tablets, have increasingly become the dominant device for online shopping, accounting for the majority of mobile transactions globally.

And despite smartphones dominating e-commerce transactions in the US, the UK is bucking the trend with 44% of mobile purchases in the UK, says Criteo.

Notes from the group’s report also highlighted the rising popularity of devices with larger screens, such as the iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy, possibly due to the ease of use their panels can offer.

“Mobile commerce is growing like a weed,” said Jonathan Wolf, chief product officer at Criteo. “In just the last three months there was a 10% increase in mobile transactions in the US alone.

“The growth of larger screen sizes and better mobile sites is only going to accelerate this trend.”

Wolf also remarked on the changing habits of consumers in regards to e-commerce and their increasing adoption of new technology.

“The huge growth in mobile transactions over the past quarter shows that consumers are now very comfortable purchasing on smartphones across all categories.”

Jonathan recently spoke to PerformanceIN about insights from the report at Ad Week Europe. You can see the full interview below.