Sales via mobile devices reached record highs of 29.6 per cent on Christmas Day while overall mobile traffic reached 33.6 per cent, data released today reveals
Apple‘s iPad generated more traffic than any other mobile device in December, accounting for 11.8 per cent of all online traffic compared with Android and iPhone which generated 5 per cent and 7.7 per cent of traffic respectively.
Consistently outperforming its competitors, the iPad generated 17 per cent of online traffic on Christmas Day, a record high for the device.
In its Christmas retail report, technology firm IBM stated: “While this Christmas season saw significant increases the in use of mobile devices overall, it was the iPad that exceeded all other mobile devices in generating online traffic and grew at a greater percentage.
“For instance, November Android and iPhone traffic grew year over year by 30.2 per cent and 35.3 per cent, respectively, while the iPad tripled, growing by more than 200 per cent.”
The number of consumers using a mobile device to make a purchase reached 19.5 per cent while the number of visitors to retailers‘ websites via mobile was 23.8 per cent for November and December combined.
Overall, online retail saw its strongest ever Christmas as sales grew 15 per cent in November and December compared with the same period in 2011, while mobile sales now represent over a fifth of all sales.
Chris Withers, UK head of Smarter Commerce at IBM said of the findings: “The report suggests that this was the year of the iPad, not just as a device for shopping and browsing retail websites but also as the gift of choice on Christmas Day, when iPad traffic hit its peak at 17 per cent.
“This provides another clear reminder to retailers of the need to optimise browsing experiences for mobile devices.”
