Dedicated shopping apps, including marketplace apps such as Amazon, eBay and overseas domestic ones such as Bol in Holland, have helped push 54% of ecommerce transactions on to mobile across Europe for the first time.
According to Criteo’s Q4 Global Commerce Report, even when apps are excluded, mobile devices account for 53% of online transactions in the UK, well above the European average of 40%. Compared to the same period in 2016 mobile web usage on a smartphone grew 19% while usage on a tablet fell 20% and desktop usage dropping slightly by 3.5%.
When retailers prioritise app optimisation in addition to mobile web, the performance gains are substantial. The study revealed that retailers with a shopping app see half of online transactions taking place on mobile devices with over half (54%) of these taking place via their app, opposed to on mobile web.
The report also reveals that mobile apps have a conversion rate 3x higher than that of mobile web – so the world of mobile shopping has clearly evolved beyond just web browsing and highlights a growing reliance on apps among shoppers.
This reinforces the “mobile-first” mindset, and will help inform omnichannel commerce marketing strategies worldwide, the study says.
“As smartphone usage continues to soar, increased app adoption and mobile browsing have resulted in interesting omnichannel shopping patterns. Our latest report illustrates the power of shopping apps to drive significantly higher conversion rates and sales on mobile devices, and also confirms that omnichannel customers provide the highest lifetime value. Retailers and brands can take advantage of these trends to optimize their marketing efforts, allowing them to more effectively connect with shoppers to yield the strongest commerce results possible.”
– Jonathan Opdyke, Chief Strategy Officer, Criteo
The report also finds that fashion, luxury, health and beauty have seen the most dramatic rise in UK mobile sales YoY (56%), while home (48%) and sporting goods (32%) lag behind.
Desktop usage dominates working hours, with 9-12 am proving UK consumers’ favourite time to shop whilemobile wins nights and weekends, while 24% of post-click desktop transactions were preceded by a click on a different device in the UK.
Omnichannel retailers who can combine online and offline data have over four times as much sales data to apply to their marketing strategies.
