Mobile Commerce Statistics UK [2024]
Last Updated: February 9, 2024
We have grown too fond of technology, so much that we carry our mobile devices wherever we go and use them to access new information, communicate, and even conduct commercial transactions online.
Before we begin, if you’re wondering what percentage of eCommerce is mobile in the UK, one-third of all shoppers used their mobile devices to make a purchase in 2019.
We’re going to look into the latest mobile commerce statistics UK and see how the opportunity to transfer money via mobile phone affects our lives and businesses. To condense this article, we highlighted some of the most interesting mobile commerce statistics:
Top 10 Mobile Commerce Statistics: Editor’s Choice
- 17% of online shoppers in the UK have been using their tablets for shopping in 2020.
- In 2020, 66.7% of UK shoppers switched to mCommerce.
- In the second quarter of 2020, only 5.3% of people in the UK ordered new products via desktop.
- In the UK, the value of products purchased via mobile devices in 2020 was around £65 billion.
- By 2024, m-commerce retail revenues are predicted to surpass 100 billion pounds.
- Since the coronavirus outbreak, the UK mobile payments market is believed to have grown to over 10 million users.
- 8% of UK multichannel retailers could offer mobile payment methods to their customers in 2019.
- Young millennials were the primary users of mobile payments (41%).
- In January 2021, Shop was the most-used shopping app by the UK audience.
- Shop: Package And Order Tracker was iPhone users’ favourite shopping app in January 2021.
Mobile Commerce Statistics UK
In the first quarter of 2020, only 17% of survey participants used their tablets for online shopping three months before Statista’s survey began
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that more people (34% of respondents) used their smartphone to purchase something on the internet. Although we spend a lot of time on our phones, more than half of web traffic in the UK is desktop.
By the end of 2020, 66.7% of all UK shoppers were using their mobile phones to order new products
Shopping online isn’t just a convenient way to purchase goods and gain access to new markets, but it has also become a part of our culture. In 2019, one-third of all online shopping in the UK was realized through mobile devices, yet it’s noteworthy that the forecasts on mobile commerce in retailing expect the sale values in the UK to reach 100 billion by the end of 2024.
In the third quarter of 2020, 5.74% of people who visited eCommerce websites decided to place an order via desktop
Internet shopping statistics for 2020 show that Britons have also been using tablets (4.41%) and smartphones (2.9%) to purchase something from eCommerce websites. In 2019, 3.47% of shoppers bought their products via mobile, so it’s safe to say that the global pandemic has affected this business model and caused a drop in sales in the UK.
Did you know that the latest mobile commerce statistics say that UK shoppers spent over £65 billion on mobile shopping in 2020
As mentioned before, forecasts don’t expect the sales value in the UK to drop any time soon. In 2024, the total UK eCommerce turnover will grow to roughly £266 billion if the UK shoppers continue to place orders via mobile and desktop devices.
In 2019, retail sales in the UK via mobile devices were £50.36 billion
The revenue growth of 10.78% in 2020 is a clear sign that people have spent more money on online shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mobile shopping statistics UK for 2020 demonstrate potential revenue growth in the following years. If UK shoppers continue to spend more money online, the revenue from mCommerce will reach £105.28 billion in 2024.
You will find it simply beyond belief that the revenue of companies who sell products online through mobile devices reached £33.3 billion in 2019
In 2018, the revenue of shopping companies in the UK reached £26.9 billion. However, 2019 was a better year for online shopping companies since the transactions via mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones led to this massive revenue growth of £6.4 billion.
By 2024, m-commerce retail revenues are predicted to surpass 100 billion pounds
Mobile commerce is gaining traction and, altering the dynamics of e-commerce along the way. The reason behind this is the increased use of mobile devices by the general public. In 2021, nearly every individual between the ages of 16 and 34 in the United Kingdom reported owning a smartphone.
In March 2020, when the pandemic started, the number of searches for delivery in the UK was nine times higher than in January 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic will have a long-lasting effect on mCommerce, and online companies seem to have nothing against this opportunity for revenue growth. For example, eBay.uk temporarily dropped registration fees for small businesses (up to 250 items) to increase their chances of selling goods during the pandemic.
Mobile Payments
Since the coronavirus outbreak, the UK mobile payments market is believed to have grown to over 10 million users
In 2020, mobile payments in the UK were higher than in any other European country, and mobile wallets were the most popular method of online shopping. According to Statista’s online mobile shopping statistics, the UK only ranked behind Denmark and Sweden in terms of mobile payment penetration in 2021.
We were surprised to learn that only 8% of UK multichannel retailers could offer mobile payment methods to their customers in 2019
Customers who shopped from retailers who didn’t rely on mobile wallet payments (92%) had to use their desktops to place online orders.
In the UK, 28% of 40-54 year-olds used their mobile devices to pay for their purchase in 2020
Generation Z was the first shopper group in the UK to adjust to payments via mobile. Almost half of all survey participants from this consumer group started using mobile devices to shop online. If you’re wondering what’s up with the 90’s kids, only 32% of Millennials who were a part of this mCommerce statistics know how to handle online payments.
In 2019, young millennials were the primary users of mobile payments (41% of millennials who participated in Statista’s survey)
Today’s world is all about efficiency, so many people prefer mobile apps for paying instead of other options. In 2019, 5% of baby boomers switched to apps for payments. Only 14% of survey participants aged 27-37 started using apps to purchase goods online, which is way less than senior millennials (38%).
Most Popular Shopping Apps and Websites
In January 2021, the most-used shopping app by the UK audience was Shop
Lidl Plus is another example of the leading Android shopping app in the UK, with over 244.9 thousand downloads. Ranked by daily active users, the most used Google Play shopping app during October 2020 in the UK was Wish, with almost 262.7 thousand Google Play store users who used this app daily.
Shop: Package And Order Tracker was the most used shopping app with 285.4 thousand downloads from iPhone users
Nearly 277 thousand iPhone users downloaded Amazon by the end of January 2021. eBay was third on the list, with 146.1 thousand downloads. Other popular shopping apps in the UK are SHEIN (132.08 thousand downloads), Tesco Clubcard (108.31 thousand downloads) and many more.
Smartphone usage statistics show that in 2020, the most used shopping app by daily active users was Amazon. It’s safe to say that 2.3 million iPhone users in the UK visit the Amazon app daily. iPad users love the Amazon shopping app too, and approximately 273 iPad users rely on this app when making an online purchase.
Mobile commerce statistics UK tell us that Amazon was the favourite retailer website among the British audience in 2020
The number of total visitors to Amazon websites on mobile devices in the UK increased to over 37 million in 2020, a significant increase over previous years. eBay and Sainsburys came in second and third with over 25 and almost 17 million mobile visitors, respectively.
Conclusion
Mobile commerce is a solution we’ve been waiting for because it allows us to make purchases regardless of our location, but it can also help us save time and find new products and services faster.
2020 was undoubtedly the best year for retailers, mainly because the global pandemic urged people to spend more money on online shopping. We hope that the mobile commerce statistics UK have helped you understand this business model better and notice the massive shift in consumer behaviour.