Mobile Shopping Drives Jump in Online Buying

RAPAPORT... US e-commerce sales grew 19% in the first five weeks of theholiday season, making it the biggest online-shopping period of all time,according to Adobe Analytics. Revenues came to $80.3 billion between November 1 andDecember 6, compared with $67.7 billion a year ago, thedata provider told Rapaport News Thursday. Sales by smartphone grew 55% to $23.7 billion. Shopping onmobile devices accounted for 58% of site visits, an 18% increase over theprevious year. Of those, 49% occurred on smartphones and 8% on tablets, Adobeadded. It based the results on a survey of more than 1,000 consumers. Total US online sales will hit $124.1 billion for the entireseason from November 1 to December 31, the group predicted. "Retailers are reaping the rewards of their investments inmobile, and have seen unprecedented success in converting mobile traffic tosales," said Taylor Schreiner, director of Adobe Digital Insights. "Smartphonesare driving this season's impressive growth." Adobe also noted a 46% increase in shoppers buying onlineand picking up goods in-store. Meanwhile, a fifth of US shoppers plan to carryout more than 75% of their purchases through big online retailers such asAmazon and eBay, it found. Customers in Alaska, California, Washington, New York and Wyoming spent the most per order, on average, Adobe added. Image: Online shopping on a mobile phone. (Shutterstock)