The latest US retail figures from the IBM Retail Online Economic Indicator show some dramatic increases in online retailing. In particular, the first quarter of 2012 saw mobile commerce account for 13.3% of all online retail sales, almost double the 7% figure from Q1 2011.
Mobile traffic accounted for 17.1% of all online retail sessions, compared with 6.1% for the same period in 2011. Most mobile traffic came from Apple iPhones, followed by Android devices and then iPads.
The report also found that consumers were increasingly optimistic about the convenience, experience and overall value of online shopping when compared with last year.
However, overall online sales fell by 1.9% year-on-year.
Craig Hayman, General Manager of IBM Industry Solutions, said “Over the first quarter, the digitally empowered consumer continued to demonstrate the momentum of the online channel and specifically mobile commerce, which has established itself as a legitimate channel for shopping. Moving ahead, we will help retailers synchronize the demand and supply chains to address issues of product availability and connect to the mobile buyer.”
