Mobile Purchases Increase 81 Percent in 2012
The amount of money people spent on mobile payment transactions increased 81 percent year-over-year in 2012 to $25 billion, according to eMarketer. Although this figure only comprised 11 percent of all e-commerce transactions, eMarketer projects that mobile will account for 25 percent by 2016, for a total of $87 billion. “Particularly in the second half of the year and in the holiday season, there were signs that smartphones and tablets in particular had made much more progress than people had previously thought we would,” notes eMarketer’s Clark Fredricksen. In a reversal from 2011, last year more people made purchases using tablets than smartphones, with $13.9 billion spent from the former versus $9.9 billion from the latter. However, Fredericksen acknowledges that many mobile storefronts have problems that complicate completing a purchase via mobile. “Even though sessions often start on smartphones, in the end consumers end up turning to computers or retail stores or even a tablet to seal the deal,” he observes. Fredricksen also notes that major e-commerce players such as eBay and Amazon’s substantial mobile shopping investments are reflected in their significantly higher mobile commerce numbers compared to smaller shopping sites.
From “Do People Actually Shop on Phones? The Answer Is Decidedly Yes”
New York Times (01/09/13) Miller, Claire Cain