Shoppers are turning to smart phones and tablets

Retail sales through mobile devices are expected to double this year to a staggering £8.17 billion, which would account for 18% of all e-commerce in the UK.

Commerce through tablets is expected to triple this year to reach £4.74 billion, which would take it to 10.4% of overall UK online sales. It is predicted that by 2017, ecommerce through tablets will be worth £18 billion and account for more than 25% of all UK e-commerce.

Mobile devices have already become widely available and are popular with consumers; with the increase in competition between tablet manufacturers, it is expected that 20 million people, or more than one in three consumers in the UK will use a tablet this year.

With the increase in affordable tablets, it is expected for the first time ever that more mobile commerce will take place using tablets than smart phones, with this accounting for 58% of all retail sales in the UK; with around 40% coming from smartphones.

E-commerce has already grown by a massive 18% this year and is expected to reach a total of £45.5 billion, and is predicted to continue to grow at this rate over the next few years. However, retail sales generally are expected to remain flat, despite the increase in mobile and e-commerce. Mobile shopping is expected to grow by 50% between now and 2018.

These latest figures are another sign that consumer behaviours are changing. As the High Street continues to decline, businesses will need to have a mobile solution in place to keep ahead of their competition. However, here in the UK, the vast majority of businesses do not have a mobile app or mobile website and the market is wide open to get these businesses in on the mobile retail boom.