Global research shows that four in ten (40%) e-commerce purchases now involve multiple devices en route to purchase.
Of that figure, nearly a third end on mobile, according to a report by performance marketing company Criteo, which reaffirms that mobile commerce is on an upward trajectory.
Criteo draws on data from 1.4 billion online transactions in its Q4 2015 State of Mobile Commerce Report, finding that mobile transactions increased 15% year on year in 2015, accounting for 30% of all online buys.
Tablets drove more high-value sales than smartphones, and iOS devices saw higher average order values than the average device.
Pursuit of app-iness
It’s unlikely a surprise that m-commerce is on the up, but the report also identifies that apps continue to enjoy increased conversion rates, quelling some doubts that it would lose out to mobile web’s dominance.
In the travel sector, apps now accrue the majority (58%) of purchases made on mobile for the first time. Meanwhile at 52%, app-based buying is also taking a firm grip in the wider retail space.
Consumers using mobile apps are even staying around for longer, browsing 286% more products than those on the mobile web and adding items to their basket 90% more often. The all-important conversion rate for app shoppers stood at 120% higher than for mobile browsers.
Mobile leaders
Globally, mobile now accounts for a 35% share of retail e-commerce, with Japan, UK and South Korea leading the pack, while the US sits somewhere in the middle. According to Criteo, retailers and brands with intuitive apps that offer a painless path to purchase are in the best stead to take advantage.
“Criteo’s quarterly Mobile Commerce Report demonstrates that mobile is an essential component of commerce today, with most consumers browsing and buying across multiple devices,” said Jonathan Wolf, chief product officer at Criteo.
“In order to better understand this digitally-savvy consumer, marketers need to stop looking at each device on its own, and start understanding the user behind them. Multi-device behavior is the new normal,” adds Wolf.