Adobe: Mobile shopping breaks records with $280 billion so far in 2024
Adobe Analytics data reveals mobile sales from January to July 2024 hit new heights.
According to Adobe Analytics figures emailed to Chain Store Age, in January 2024, mobile accounted for 46.7% of all online sales. By July 2024, this had risen to 49.3%. This amounted to a record $280.4 billion spent through mobile devices from January to July 2024, representing 10.2% growth year-over-year from the comparable period in 2023.
Driving factors
Adobe cites several different circumstances that have helped boost mobile sales so far this year, including:
- Mobile share of sales across major events in 2024 (including Prime Day, Fourth of July and Memorial Day) consistently overtook desktop shopping at 51% share on average.
- Mobile drove a significant 68.2% share of online grocery sales. Mobile overtook desktop grocery shopping in April 2021 and has remained the dominant grocery channel since.
- In personal care, 77% of online sales came through mobile devices in July 2024, with mobile having overtaken desktop in the personal care channel back in July 2019.
- Mobile is also the dominant transaction channel in apparel at 60.8% share in July 2024, having overtaken desktop in this category in May 2020.
Holiday forecast
The November-December 2024 holiday shopping season is expected to see 53% of online sales come through mobile devices, up from 51.1% during the same period in 2023.
Going into 2025, Adobe is forecasting that mobile shopping will consistently eclipse desktop in months outside of the holiday season, marking a major shift in consumer behavior online.
Other findings
- Larger retailers with $1 billion or more in annual revenue have seen more of their customers shift towards smaller screens, with mobile capturing 52.8% share of online sales on a monthly average. This contrasts with smaller retailers reporting $10 million to $100 million in annual revenue, where mobile share sits at a 43% monthly average.
- The Adobe Digital Price Index, which tracks online prices across 18 product categories, shows that e-commerce prices have fallen for 23 months straight through July 2024, when they dropped 3.7% year-over-year in July 2024. Adobe’s spend figures are not adjusted for inflation, but if online inflation were factored in, Adobe says there would be even higher growth in topline consumer spend.
[READ MORE: Adobe: 2024 e-commerce spend exceeds $330 billion so far]
"Adobe Analytics data shows that consumers have embraced mobile shopping for purchases that are more frequent and lower in price, but we expect larger purchase will begin to shift towards smaller screens as well," said Vivek Pandya, lead analyst, Adobe Digital Insights. "Adobe’s data also shows that basket sizes on mobile are 32% smaller than on desktop, which presents both a challenge and opportunity for brands to refine mobile experiences and close the gap to drive revenue."
Based on Adobe Analytics data, Adobe's analysis reviewed commerce transactions online, covering over one trillion visits to U.S. retail sites, 100 million SKUs and 18 product categories.
