Ecommerce sites that do not optimise their webpages for mobile devices are shutting out a large proportion of the market, as a new survey finds mobile traffic increased 20 per cent over the 2013 Christmas period alone.
According to searchenginewatch.com, the survey conducted by ShopVisible reveals over the whole of 2013, 30 per cent of web traffic came via mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. In fact, traffic was split equally between the two, as 15 per cent came from mobile and the other 15 per cent of site visits were from tablets.
Although the vast majority of traffic (70 per cent) still comes from desktop computers, it seems that consumers often use mobiles to research items before they buy them. Only four per cent of purchases in 2013 were made via a mobile phone or tablet, indicating customers prefer to search for the things they want and then buy them on a PC later, reports bizreport.com.
This means they’re increasingly becoming an important part of the purchasing process and ShopVisible states in its report that businesses who don’t optimise their websites for mobile will be missing out on revenue in 2014.
“Although it’s been a popular topic in ecommerce (and retail in general) for several years, many retailers have still been reluctant to invest in mobile-optimised versions of their site,” the report notes. “As smartphones continue to become more popular, sites must be equipped with a mobile version specifically made for the smaller screen.”
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