Rise in Mobile Purchases

Smaller screens are meaning big business as mobile internet usage continues to grow. Figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) revealed that in 2014 almost 7 in 10 adults (68%) had used mobile devices to connect to the internet away from home or work. This soared to 96% of those aged 16 to 24, meaning that almost every young adult in the UK now connects on the go. Buddy Loans demonstrates through their in depth infographic that Alibaba: a hugely successful Chinese e-retailer receives over 63 active users per second.

Alibaba are currently doing a fantastic job of living up to the current hype surrounding its record setting profit.  The number of mobile users and purchases sours on a daily basis, in just 720 seconds there was a staggering 52925 active mobile users on their website.

The infographic by Buddy Loans demonstrates the sheer scale of online commerce in real time across just one platform. In just one minute there are around 4,500 mobile users logged on and $140,000 worth of merchandise purchased through mobile.

Differences in online shoppers

However, there are still variations between online shoppers using smart phones and tablets. Tablet shoppers are twice as likely as smart phone shoppers to make a purchase via their apps and are more likely to use an app to do so. 46% of tablet shoppers had used an app to make a purchase in the past three months, compared to 38% of smart phone shoppers.

The most valued features also vary between tablet and smart phone shoppers. Money saving offers is the most highly rated features for both groups (52% for tablets and 67% for smart phone users). The ability to locate physical stores using an app was the second most valued feature for smart phone shoppers, with 60% listing this as desirable. The second most valued feature for tablet shoppers was the inclusion of interactive images and slideshows.

The way a business interacts with its customers via a mobile can vary depending on a number of factors, including the device used and the nature of the goods or services offered.

Mobile shopping is continuing to rise and not only for Alibaba whereby over half their orders daily are made from a mobile handset. Shopping on a smart phone or tablet will continue and it is up to businesses to take advantage of this.