The brands owned by Liverpool-based online retailer Shop Direct have reported that, for the first time, mobile traffic overtook desktop views in the build-up to Christmas.
Data showed that visitors accessing their websites via mobile devices accounted for 50.4% of the brands’ overall traffic.
Additionally, the findings represent a significant year-on-year surge. The number of tablet users represented a 120% jump from the same period in 2012, while smartphones saw an increase of 105.2%
Speaking about the data, the group’s director of retail and strategy, Gareth Jones, said the fact that mobile users now account for more than half of Shop Direct’s visitors highlights the increasing power of m-commerce and its influence on the retail agenda.
Jones added that the group hasn’t been behind any drives to get its customers to adopt the mobile approach; instead, he said he believes that people have taken up tablets and smartphones for their convenience.
It is certainly true that more and more people are choosing to shop online instead of venturing out onto the high street – not just at Christmas, but throughout the year. The savviest businesses are adjusting constantly to changes in the retail sphere, adopting responsive approaches to website marketing to ensure ease-of-use for mobile customers.
Jones has also pointed to how Shop Direct’s findings challenge rather than support commonly held beliefs about m-commerce; rather than waiting until the evening to browse the brands’ ranges, the majority of customers went online between 6:00am and 12:00pm, suggesting that most mobile users like to shop over breakfast or on their way to work.
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