Report: Mobile commerce hits its tipping point

Mobile retailing’s time has arrived.



Mobile devices are beginning to dominate the commerce landscape, and retailers ready to capitalize on this trend will be successful at driving transactions for the shopping seasons to follow.



This message was reported in the “H1 2016 State of Mobile Commerce Report,” from Criteo, which said in the first half of 2016, top retailers in the United States grew mobile sales by 30% year-over-year to now capture 52% of all e-commerce transactions. Meanwhile, across all U.S. retailers, mobile share of e-commerce transactions increased by 17% year-over-year.



"Mobile commerce has reached a turning point, and is surpassing desktop purchasing as retailers continue to evolve their mobile shopping platforms," said Elie Kanaan, EVP, marketing, Criteo.



The front-runners in the race were fashion and luxury retailers, which had over 40% of e-commerce transactions take place on mobile – an increase of 17% for the same period in Q2 2015, the report said.



When looking at specific devices, smartphones continue to dominate U.S. retail mobile transaction share by volume with 67% of transactions – representing a 26% growth rate year-over-year. A majority of these sales were made via iPhones, however, a 57% year-over-year growth in transactions on Android devices – 1.5 times that of iPhones – demonstrates the competitor’s ability to quickly regain ground in mobile commerce, the report said.



"Retailers need to create a truly seamless mobile and cross-device experience, and be prepared to engage with users no matter where they are along the path to purchase,” Kanaan said. “Brands that master the mobile trend will have a head start on competitors and the momentum to lead the pack through the shopping seasons ahead.”