E-commerce: more people are shopping via their smartphones

It cannot be denied that smartphones play a huge role in the UK’s e-commerce market. Many analysts have advanced that these devices have increased the number of sales conducted on the Internet.

During the lockdown, people had limited access to office-based computers, library-based laptops and other non-home-based PCs. Thus, 55% of e-shopping in the UK has been processed via a mobile device putting the country into in the league of mobile-first leaders like Sweden (60%), China (59%) and Norway (57%). In comparison, the US e-commerce market, despite being the second largest in the world, generates only 39% of its sales via smartphones and the likes.

Why is mobile commerce so popular in the UK? According to data from the PPRO, a lot of people use this medium to purchase products because of the high level of smartphone penetration in the country. 85% of its population is equipped with this device, the same as Norway and Sweden and bigger than the US, Germany and China.

Nonetheless, there are several other factors that come into play as proven by areas such as Germany which has the fifth largest e-commerce market in the world and 50% of its business conducted via a mobile device but is still only one-fifth the size of the US market. Heavy mobile commerce penetration rates is not always equal to larger online spending.



More people shop via mobile devices in the UK ©Royalty-free image

Comments