Thirty-four percent of UK e-retail sales were made via smartphones and tablets in Q1, up from 32% in previous quarter, 20% a year ago, 1% in 2010; 48% of visits to e-retail websites came from mobile devices: IMRG

Cindy Allen

LONDON , May 29, 2014 (press release) – Mobile accounted for 34% of UK e-retail sales in Q1, up from 32% in the previous quarter
48% of visits to e-retail websites are now via smartphones and tablet devices
Click & Collect accounted for 14% of multichannel online sales during Q1

More than a third of all online sales are now made on a mobile device (smartphones and tablets) as m-commerce continues to increase its share of the UK e-retail market, according to the latest results from the IMRG Capgemini Quarterly Benchmarking.

The proportion (34%) is up from 20% in the same period last year and compares with just 1% m-retail penetration during 2010. In fact, the latest findings represent staggering growth of 3,400% in m-commerce penetration over the past 4 years. Visits to e-retail websites via mobile devices are also increasing, with around half (48%), now coming via smartphone and tablet devices. This compares with 30% in the first quarter of 2013 and 45% in the previous quarter.

Other key highlights from the Quarterly Benchmarking include:

Click & Collect accounted for 14% of multichannel online sales in Q1, down from 16% in the previous quarter. This is in line with the trend recorded last year when the average reached 11% in Q1, down from 12% in the previous quarter.
The average checkout abandonment rose slightly to 36% in Q1, compared with 35% in Q4. However, clothing and apparel merchants recorded a significantly lower rate of 26% - unchanged from the previous quarter.

Tina Spooner, Chief Information Officer at IMRG, said: "The latest Quarterly Benchmarking results highlight the increasing importance of m-commerce to online retailers in the UK. The widespread adoption of mobile devices is helping to drive growth in m-retail visits to a tipping point and, although growth in m-commerce itself is settling, this is unsurprising when we consider these results are coming off an increasingly higher base.

"The dip in Click & Collect sales recorded by multichannel retailers during Q1 is a trend we observed last year. We expect this figure to rise during the next quarter before reaching a peak during Q3, when consumers are often looking for 'immediacy' in their purchases over the summer months."

Chris Webster, VP, Consumer Retail and Technology, Capgemini, commented: "These results illustrate just how integral a role mobile now plays in our shopping journey, and one which is only set to increase. Retailers have taken huge strides over the last few years, rapidly evolving their m-commerce platforms to match the expectations of their customers, enabled by the available technology.

"Where retailers once invested in m-commerce platforms to gain a competitive edge, such is the ubiquity of the technology, the playing field could now be considered almost level. Whilst Click & Collect has dropped slightly this quarter, in-line with recent trends, we can expect the delivery channel to become key to retaining brand loyalty as customers will shop around for greater convenience."



-ENDS-


Editors Notes

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.

Around 40 retailers currently participate in the IMRG Capgemini Quarterly Benchmarking, including Addict, Airport Parking & Hotels, B&Q, Bank, Blacks, Brora, Cartridge People, Clarks, Crocus, Debenhams, Deckers, Dune, Dunelm Mill, Freeman Grattan Holdings (Freemans, Grattan, Look Again, Kaleidoscope, Curvissa, Swimear365, Witt International UK), Get The Label, Hobbs, Home & Cook, JD Sports, John Lewis, LK Bennett, M and M Direct, Marks & Spencer, Matalan, Millets, Moss Bros, New Look, Philip Kingsley, Schuh, Scott, Silentnight, Size, Sparkling Strawberry, Super GA, The White Company, This is Pulp and Wilkinson.

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

About IMRG

IMRG (Interactive Media in Retail Group) is the UK's industry association for e-retail. Formed in 1990, IMRG is setting and maintaining pragmatic and robust e-retail standards to enable fast-track industry growth, and facilitates its community of members with practical help, information, tools, guidance and networking. The strength of IMRG is the collective and cooperative power of its members. For more information please visit http://www.imrg.org/ or email membership@imrg.org
About Capgemini

With more than 130,000 people in 44 countries, Capgemini is one of the world's foremost providers of consulting, technology and outsourcing services. The Group reported 2012 global revenues of EUR 10.3 billion. Together with its clients, Capgemini creates and delivers business and technology solutions that fit their needs and drive the results they want. A deeply multicultural organization, Capgemini has developed its own way of working, the Collaborative Business ExperienceTM, and draws on Rightshore®, its worldwide delivery model.
Learn more at www.uk.capgemini.com

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