Commentary

50% of Online Sales Heading to Mobile

This past holiday season again highlighted the significance of mobile on shopping patterns, which may be on track to at least one tipping point.

A new forecast now has mobile accounting for a full half of all U.S. digital commerce revenue within two years.

That would be an increase from the 22% of digital commerce revenue attributed now, according to research firm Gartner.

The forecast also sees a major increase in mobile payments this year, driven by new credit card standards that shift the liability for fraud to retailers, which will cause the installation of updated point-of-sale systems. Many of those newer systems also can handle mobile payments.

Gartner has some additional predictions around online shopping and customer experiences.

  • By the end of next year, more than $2 billion in online shopping will be performed exclusively by mobile digital assistants.
  • By the end of this year, mobile digital assistants will have taken on tasks such as filling out name, address and credit card information. Fixed events like grocery replenishment will be common, leading consumers to lean more on digital assistants, according to the research firm.
  • By next year, slightly more complex purchase decisions, such as purchasing back-to-school items and scheduling a series of events tied together, like a movie, along with dinner and car pickup for a date, are seen as likely.
  • By next year, most (89%) companies see customer experience as their primary competitive advantage and almost three quarters of them plan to increase spending accordingly.

Commerce attributed to mobile has been steadily growing over the years.

With the percentage of online purchasing by mobile at  5%, 10% or even 15%, only minor notice may have been paid by sellers.

But at 22% of all digital commerce revenue now, it is worthy of attention.

At 50%, it will command respect.

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