Survey finds more retailers going mobile

CHICAGO — The third annual Mobile Audit, released Thursday by e-commerce and digital marketing company Acquity Group, found that mobile adoption is on the rise. In fact, the percentage of retailers with a mobile site reached 37% in 2011, up from 12% in 2010 and only 4% in 2009 — a 210% increase over the past year alone.

The survey also found that 1-in-4 retailers have at least one mobile app, with nearly one-quarter developing for the iPhone, followed by Android (10%). The number of retailers offering mobile apps grew 278% over the past year, rising from 7% in 2010 to slightly more than 26% in 2011.

The top 10 leaders in the mobile space, according to survey findings, included Walgreens and Walmart.

“These 10 retailers are executing mobile tactics that are positioning them ahead of the mobile commerce curve,” Acquity Group VP digital strategy and design Tom Nawara said. “All of these companies have made a focused commitment to mobile, and it’s paying off. Not only have they implemented mobile-optimized sites to support a wide range of devices, but they have taken initiatives a step further with exceptional transactional functionality and well-designed apps that meet customer needs.”

Another key survey finding: the percentage of companies with a site optimized specifically for the iPhone decreased from 11% in 2010 to 9% in 2011. Nawara explained that as mobile browsers become more similar and full-featured across different devices, this nonspecialization is an expected trend.

Although tremendous progress is being made across the board, the rate of mobile adoption, and the specific mobile tactics used, can vary considerably by industry. For example, Acquity Group’s analysis showed that for the implementation of iPhone apps, such industry groups as health and beauty, food and drug, and mass merchants skewed much higher (an average of 66% adoption) than such groups as flowers and gifts, and hardware and home improvement (an average of 36% adoption).