Despite the explosion of smartphones and tablets, most retailers say that consumers are not using mobile devices to shop very often. In fact, according to a recent survey reported in Market Watch, this corner of the market results in less than 2 percent of sales for more than half of retailers.
However, while sales from mobile devices are still in their infancy, as more and more retailers invest in the applications for e-commerce, these sales should only rise.
Some retailers are already feeling the upswing. Nearly 20 percent claim that mobile devices account for more than 10 percent of sales. For most respondents, the number of new and returning mobile customers remains equal, at about 17 percent.
While current data limits a seller’s ability to explore mobile sales further, this trajectory will continue to rise and will be a huge trend in 18 months. It’s one that retailers shouldn’t ignore.
As the number of buyers is expected to increase, other factors are making mobile device sales more attractive to retailers. For example, the Dubin Amendment has reduced fees for debit card transactions — a trend felt by nearly half of retailers. But, challenges still lie ahead; fraud and international payment strategies will continue to be a concern.
Source: Market Watch, March 2012
