Ecommerce mobile traffic overtakes tablet by 120% in last 12 months

Monetate has released the latest findings of its Ecommerce Quarterly report, which analyses the evolution of ecommerce across the globe.

The report found a significant increase in web traffic being driven from mobile devices to ecommerce sites, with figures rising 120% over the past year, compared to tablet traffic, which grew by 35% in the same period.

Desktop traffic remains static in comparison, however the figures show that while mobile devices are now responsible for 16% of all ecommerce traffic, they still drive less than 4% revenue, compared with over 50% in desktop.

Order value on mobile remains low, too, with smartphones attributing an average of $116.48 for every purchase, compared with $149.53 for tablets and $180.91 for desktops.  

The figures underline the growing importance of understanding the customer buying process across devices, with mobiles still predominantly used as a research tool, and desktops as the final transaction.

As Michael Allen, VP of APM at Compuware recently told MyCustomer: “Brands must prioritise their mobile commerce offerings based on their customer demands. For example, they should look to identify which mobile devices their customers are using the most and then optimise their mobile offerings for those devices.

“They should also bear in mind that whilst flashy visuals may attract customers by making a great first impression, building a long lasting customer relationship actually depends on the quality of the experience through how that website performs.”

The EQ2 also captured data on the social mobile commerce landscape, which is evolving at a rapid rate – while social still only drives 12% conversion with an average bounce rate of 61%, social mobile customers have the highest average order value ($106.12) of any mobile customer segment.

“Mobile commerce traffic is increasing dramatically as consumers become more comfortable shopping via mobile. It's getting easier too, with increased screen sizes and mobile payment systems,” says Lucinda Duncalfe, CEO, Monetate.

“But the low conversion rates imply that brands need to create more relevant, personalised mobile experiences to take advantage of the opportunity. Leaders will drive new revenue by delivering the right, personalised, experience for mobile consumers.”

“It’s safe to say that 2014 is the breakout year for mobile – at least from an ecommerce standpoint – but to really capture the tremendous opportunity, companies will need to rethink their mobile strategies, starting with assessing the customer and the customer’s context,” adds Jay Henderson, Strategy Director, IBM ExperienceOne, and contributor to Monetate’s EQ2 2014.

“It’s a fairly complex process that involves reworking sites, using data to improve navigation and deepen connections, and personalising the mobile presence.”