Survey: e-commerce growth up 18% in first quarter

New York — Online traffic rose 18% in the first quarter, according to Demandware's latest Shopping Index. The study also reveals that the duration of mobile shopping visits decreased 43% in the first quarter, down to 8.4 minutes. Overall shopping episodes were also down 31% to 8.9 minutes.



The report measures digital commerce growth and identifies the trends driving that growth based on analysis of same site activity over time. The latest Demandware Shopping Index reveals that shopper attraction, which measures the number of shoppers, was up 18% in the first quarter of 2015 over the first quarter last year and drove 83% of the digital commerce growth.



Additional key findings include:

• 
  Mobile phone orders increased 59% in the first quarter 2015 and now account for 18% of all orders. Additionally, the Shopping Index revealed that mobile accounts for 35% of all traffic, up 38% year over year.


• 
  Although mobile devices continue to be a staple in our every day lives, the duration of mobile shopping visits has shrunk to 8.4 minutes, down 43%. Year over year overall shopping episodes were also down 31% to 8.9 minutes.


• 
  Shoppers are making more visits to the same site as seen by a 9% increase in frequency of visits year over year. Traffic to digital commerce sites also spiked, as 24% more shoppers clicked or tapped in the first quarter 2015 over the previous year’s first quarter.


• 
  Overall, orders per shopper increased 6% year over year and discounts reduced order size by 13%, up 9% year over year.

“The latest Shopping Index underscores the transformative, consumer-driven changes taking place in retail,” said Elana Anderson, senior VP worldwide marketing, Demandware. “Orders and visits from mobile devices are soaring and we expect to see this trend continue for the foreseeable future. To stay ahead of this evolution, retailers must find new ways to make personal, quality connections with consumers. At the end of the day, it’s all about facilitating a comprehensive experience that weaves together the shopping journey regardless of where or how the consumer is interacting – whether on a site, in-store, on their phone, on a social platform, or any other interaction method.”



To see the full report, click here.