IMRG Capgemini Quarterly Benchmarking: Mobile penetration falls for first time this decade

Just under half (49.6%) of online retail sales were completed through mobile devices during Q1 2016, compared with 51.3% in the previous quarter. There was also a slight fall in the percentage of visits to online retail sites through mobile devices – at 64.6% in Q1 2016, down from 65.6% in Q4 2015.

This fall is likely to have been influenced by a marked split that has been recorded in growth rates on tablets and smartphones recently. While sales through smartphones were up +83% in April for example, growth in sales through tablet devices slowed down to a record low of just +3%.

There was also a continuation of a recent trend, with the percentage of click & collect orders for multichannel retailers remaining steady at 22% in Q1 – this is unchanged from Q4 2015 and has been consistently around this mark for around a year now.

Tina Spooner, chief information officer, IMRG: “Back in 2010 mobile devices accounted for less than 1% of online retail sales and this increased rapidly over a few years to exceed 50% in the last quarter. However, these latest results appear to track the effects of some displacement activity we are seeing in relation to sales made through mobile devices. While the majority of these sales still come through tablets, shoppers are increasingly using their smartphones in situations where they would previously have used a tablet – the screen sizes have become larger, retailers have focused on optimising the experience for smartphone users and consumers are becoming increasingly confident in using these devices for a wide range of activities.”

Bhavesh Unadkat, Management Consultant in Retail Customer Engagement Design, Capgemini: “It’s surprising to see that mobile sales have decreased in the first quarter of 2016 when compared with the last quarter. This is predominantly due to tablet penetration which we have seen tailing off.  We would usually expect this to be offset by a rise of sales on smartphones, particularly given the number of ‘phablets’ now in the market, but this hasn’t occurred to such an extent.

“Regardless, it’s pleasing to see that traffic to retail sites from mobile devices remained fairly steady. What we’re also seeing is that people are spending even more time on their mobile than in the previous quarter, so there is certainly a huge opportunity for retailers. To capitalise on this, retailers should focus on executing a mobile lead shopping experience – one which enhances the in-store journey and offers the same features as shopping on a desktop computer.”

Editors Notes:

* The quarters run as follows:

– Quarter 1 – February to April

– Quarter 2 – May to July

– Quarter 3 – August to October

– Quarter 4 – November to January

The figures above are all taken from the IMRG Capgemini Quarterly Benchmarking, an additional reporting tool that is open to all participants in the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index. The Quarterly Benchmarking tracks over 40 key performance indicators across 7 categories, leading to unique insights into the performance of the UK e-retail sector.

About IMRG

For over 20 years, IMRG (Interactive Media in Retail Group) has been the voice of e-retail in the UK. We are a membership community comprising businesses of all sizes – multichannel and pureplay, SME and multinational, and solution providers to industry.

We support our members through a range of activities – including market tracking and insight, benchmarking and best practice sharing. Our indexes provide in-depth intelligence on online sales, mobile sales, delivery trends and over 40 additional KPIs.

Our goal is to ensure our members have the information and resources they need to succeed in rapidly-evolving markets – both domestically and internationally.

www.imrg.org

About Capgemini

With more than 180,000 people in over 40 countries, Capgemini is one of the world’s foremost providers of consulting, technology and outsourcing services. The Group reported 2015 global revenues of EUR 11.9 billion. Together with its clients, Capgemini creates and delivers business, technology and digital solutions that fit their needs, enabling them to achieve innovation and competitiveness. A deeply multicultural organisation, Capgemini has developed its own way of working, the Collaborative Business Experience^TM, and draws on Rightshore^®, its worldwide delivery model.

Learn more about us at www.capgemini.com.

Rightshore^® is a trademark belonging to Capgemini