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Mobile Marvel: Phone Now Accounts For Almost 40% Of All Digital Sales

Email teams had better design all their emails for mobile, if they haven’t already.  

Mobile was the vehicle for 38.4% of all digital commerce in Q4 2022 — up from 35% in Q3, 34% in Q2 and 35.9% in Q4 2021, according to State of Digital Commerce, a new study from Comscore.

In Q4 2022, mobile delivered $127.5 billion in sales, compared to $101.0 billion in Q4 2021 and $101 billion in the final quarter of 2021. 

In contrast, desktop still contributed $204.7 billion in sales in Q4, compared to $180.3 billion in the same period during the prior year. 

This was in a year in which ecommerce sales hit $1 trillion for the first time — $1.09 trillion, versus $904.3 billion in 2021, a 21% increase by Comscore’s calculation. The increase was driven largely by online grocery, apparel and computer/peripheral sales.  

In 2020, digital sales totaled $705.4 billion and in 2019 $615.1 billion.  

The top product categories for online sales were:

  • Grocery/Baby/Pet — $219 billion
  • Apparel & Accessories — $175 billion 
  • Computers & Peripherals — $117 billion 
  • Consumers Electronics — $85 billion
  • Furniture & Appliances — $76 billion 

In terms of growth, these were the leading verticals: 

  • Event Tickets — +75% 
  • Digital Content — +60% 
  • Apparel & Accessories — +37% 
  • Video Games & Accessories — +31% 
  • Home and Garden —+25%

Note: The data has been sourced from Comscore’s consumer panel and ongoing research, the company says.  

During last year’s holiday season, mobile brought in $92.6 billion and desktop did $146.5 billion in sales, for an overall total of $239 billion. In 2021, total sales reached $199.9 billion, of which $70.5 billion was contributed by mobile and $129.4 billion by desktop.  

November was the biggest month, comprising 44% of holiday sales. Mobile was used for $29 billion in grocery orders, and desktop $34.2 billion.  

In Q4 2021, mobile sales totaled $18.7. billion in the grocery category, and desktop $39.7 billion. 

The report was put together by Comscore’s Ian Essling and Jason Clough. 

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