According to quarterly data from IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index, online shoppers spent more money via their smartphones when accessing UK retail sites than on either of the other device types. This is the first time that such a thing has ever happened, as desktop and tablet devices dominated sales previously. 

According to the recently released figures, in Q4 2018/2019, the percentage of sales revenue spent via smartphone devices was 40.4%. Desktop devices took 39.7% of total sales revenue, whilst only 19.9% of revenue came via tablets. 

Andy Mulcahy, Strategy and Insight Director at IMRG, said: “This is another significant step in smartphones becoming the dominant device through which we manage so many aspects of our lives. It has taken a little while though – the iPhone was first released in 2007, and for a long time people were visiting product pages through smartphones in large numbers but then completing purchases elsewhere. It wasn’t until late-2015 when it started to really gain traction as a fully transactional device for online shopping.

“This does not spell the end of other devices being used for online retail purchases, however – people tend to use multiple devices depending on which is most convenient. So, for example, during standard working hours, a higher proportion of sales come through desktop as people are sat in front of their computers at work.”

As the data suggests, an increasing number of consumers are switching to their smartphones to do their online shopping. This emphasises the point that it is vital for all retailers to make sure that their websites are smartphone-optimised. If not, they could risk losing sales to their competitors.