What categories capture mobile consumers?

Shoppers on the go show distinct preferences in the types of products they engage with.



According to a study of 10,000 U.S. websites across 24 categories by website/mobile analytics provider SimilarWeb, cosmetics sites such as Ulta (76% of online visits from mobile devices) and Sephora (69% mobile share), have helped the beauty and fitness sector achieve a market-leading 67.25% share of all its visits via mobile phones, in comparison to desktop visits.



Other categories leading in mobile engagement include home and garden sites (63.25% market share) and health sites (62.75% of their visits on mobile devices.)



Interestingly, while mobile shoppers might be viewed as more tech-savvy than the average consumer, he least likely sites to be visited via mobile are computer and electronics sites, with only a 36.95% market share). Books and literature is another retail category with a comparatively low mobile engagement share (46.45%).



The study also shows that a shift to mobile represents a challenge for companies in securing visitor time on site and pages viewed on a site. While on average, U.S. visitors spent an average of 5 minutes 19 seconds visiting desktop sites, this dropped to three minutes and five seconds for the same site viewed on mobile phones or tablet. The average pages viewed also dropped from 5.19 on desktop to 3.34 when users are on mobile.



“The explosion of smartphones and tablets has transformed the Internet,” said Hilla Meller, SimilarWeb digital insights analyst. “ith visits from mobile now the default across most industries in the U.S, companies will have to adapt and adjust. Sites and content need to be tailored for mobile consumption.