Mobile sales fall for first time this decade

The percentage of online retail sales made through mobile devices fell in the first quarter of 2016 – the first time a decrease has been recorded since tracking started in 2010.

That’s according to the latest IMRG and Capgemini Quarterly Benchmark, which found just under half (49.6%) of online retail sales were completed through mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) during the quarter, compared with 51.3% in the previous quarter.

There was also found to be a slight fall in the percentage of visits to online retail sites through mobile devices at 64.6% – down from 65.6% in the previous quarter.

The report said the fall is likely to have been influenced by a marked split that has been recorded in growth rates on tablets and smartphones recently. While sales of smartphones were up 83% in April, growth in sales of tablet devices slowed to a record low of 3%.

There was also a continuation of a recent trend, with the percentage of click-and-collect orders for multichannel retailers remaining steady at 22% during the quarter.

Tina Spooner, chief information officer at IMRG, said: “Back in 2010 mobile devices accounted for less than 1% of online retail sales and this increased rapidly over a few years to exceed 50% in the last quarter.

“However, these latest results appear to track the effects of some displacement activity we are seeing in relation to sales made through mobile devices. While the majority of these sales still come through tablets, shoppers are increasingly using their smartphones in situations where they would previously have used a tablet.”