According to Adobe’s latest Digital Index, UK shoppers spent more via mobile this Christmas than those in the US and Europe. Of every £10 spent online in the UK, £4.10 came from a mobile device.
The study, from Adobe, indicates that Britons were the most mobile shoppers this Christmas, with £4.10 of every £10 spent online coming from a smartphone.
Key findings:
• Britons spent £24.48 billion online during the Christmas period, marking an 11 per cent increase on the same period in 2015
• Black Friday’s share of revenue fell by 8 per cent from 2015, but remains the most popular day for online shopping, with £908 million spent
• The number of last minute shoppers is on the rise – the last Monday before Christmas (19th December) saw a 50 per cent revenue increase
• UK shoppers spent more via mobile this festive period than US and other European nations
• British retailers recorded an 11 per cent increase in revenue during November and December compared to 2015
• Number of last minute shoppers on the rise
Part of the latest Adobe Digital Index, the data also revealed that just under two-thirds (60 per cent) of online visits to UK retailers during the holiday season were made on a mobile device. This marks a huge leap compared to Q2 of 2016, when smartphones were responsible for just over a third (36 per cent) of traffic to UK retailers, and £1.70 of every £10 spent online.
The results are identical to the 2015 festive period, when £4.10 of every £10 spent online in the UK was via a mobile device.
Over Christmas 2016, the UK’s mobile spending was substantially higher than the rest of the world’s: £3.10 in every £10, and 50 per cent of online visits to retailers came via a mobile in the US; the Nordics recorded £3 in £10 and a 49 per cent share of traffic; Germany saw mobile revenue drop to £2.70 and traffic to 44 per cent; and just £2.60 was spent in France, with mobile again accounting for 44 per cent of online visits.
Overall, it was a strong holiday season for the UK, with £24.48 billion spent online during the period, an 11 per cent increase on 2015. Comparatively, France saw a revenue increase of 14 per cent, with $16BN spent online; Germany witnessed a 7 per cent increase to $24.9 billion; and the Nordics saw a 6 per cent increase to $9.5 billion. The US spent $91.7 billion online in 2016, which was an 11 per cent increase compared to 2015.
The UK’s strong growth was partly driven by a surge in last minute Christmas shopping, with the amount spent on the last Monday before Christmas (19th December), increasing by half (50 per cent) in 2016.
However, in comparison to 2015, Black Friday’s share of revenue fell by just under a tenth (8 per cent) in the UK. This is likely due to retailers discounting their items for longer periods of time – Cyber Monday, for instance, saw revenue growth of 10 per cent. Despite this, Black Friday still remains the most popular day for online shopping, with Britons spending £908 million on this day alone. Shoppers also kept the Boxing Day sales tradition alive, with just over a tenth (11 per cent) more spent on 26th December.
John Watton, EMEA Marketing Director, Adobe, said, “2016 saw an unprecedented surge in online Holiday shopping, and mobile shopping in particular. Consumers’ desire to purchase items on mobile devices is clearly there. In an increasingly competitive retail market, it’s critical that retailers continue to personalise the shopping experience—across all devices and touchpoints—so that users are compelled to purchase more on their smartphones throughout the whole year.”
About the research
Report based on analysis of 1 trillion visits to over 4,500 retail websites and 55 million SKUs
Source: www.adobe.com/uk