According to new statistics from the IMRG e-Retail Survey, in April of this year 11 per cent of retailers expected over half of online sales to be made via smartphones or tablets by the end of 2014.

This figure has risen from the 4 per cent who predicted the same pattern in 2013. This is highlighting the increasing importance of the mobile market for Uk retailers.

Tina Spooner, Chief Information Officer at IMRG, said:

“Mobile continues to dominate the e-retail landscape, with sales via mobile devices now accounting for a third of UK e-retail sales.

“The latest survey results also reveal that mobile has a key part to play in the multichannel retail environment, with three-quarters of high street / multichannel retailers now having a mobile-optimised website, compared with just over half of pureplay merchants.

“With an increasing number of consumers now using their mobile devices to browse and compare products while in-store, it is no surprise that mobile has become an integral part of retailers’ multichannel strategies.

“Our latest survey results also reveal an increasing optimism among retailers around their expectations of online sales growth during 2014. While almost all merchants surveyed said they expect to see positive year-on-year sales growth, a significant proportion (42%) forecast sales growth to reach in excess of 20%”.

Over 70 per cent of the e-retailers surveyed offer international delivery, which rises to 88% for clothing and apparel retailers.

Furthermore, 67 per cent of multichannel retailers surveyed now also offer a Click & Collect service, which is an increase on the 54 per cent in October. 

Source: Click Liverpool