Shop Direct brands report mobile traffic overtaking desktop for first time in lead up to Christmas peak
Shop Direct’s mobile traffic preceding the peak Christmas shopping period overtook desktop for the first time this year, averaging at 50.4 per cent from smartphones and tablets.
Figures: Mobile traffic has rocketed for Shop Direct brands
The figures represent a surge in traffic from tablets of 120 per cent on the same period last year – the six weeks up to and including 7 December - and a jump of 105.2 per cent on smartphones.
Gareth Jones, group retail and strategy director at Shop Direct, said: “To have topped 50 per cent of traffic from mobile before we got into the peak weeks of December highlights the increasing power of these devices and of shoppers in dictating the retail agenda.
“We haven’t actively pushed customers onto mobile – they’ve adopted these devices willingly for their convenience and ease of use.”
Jones added that the figures indicated consumers’ mobile shopping behaviour did not match commonly held beliefs.
“It’s not just a case of people switching from desktop to mobile in the evening either, although that of course plays a part.
“In fact, the biggest growth in mobile traffic that we’ve seen has occurred between 6am and 12pm, which would indicate a real shift in customer behaviour.”
The company, which owns Very.co.uk, Littlewoods.com and isme.com reported that the number of orders make on mobile devices increased by almost double (97 per cent) compared to the Christmas period last year, while the value of mobile orders increased by 91.6 per cent.