Smart phones outnumber PCs as e-Commerce traffic source 

New York: Majority of online shoppers are using smart phones these days. According to a latest survey, smart phones accounted for 45.1 percent of web-shopping traffic in the first quarter of this year, edging out computers at 45 percent. Hence, the most important screens for retailers are now the small ones.

Demandware, an e-commerce software provider, has carried out the study. Salesforce.com Inc acquired Demandware this month. The study projects that number of smart phones as online shopping platform will continue to rise with phones accounting for 60 percent of e-commerce visits by 2016.

The study by an e-commerce software provider Demandware, projects that number of smart phones as online shopping platform will continue to rise with phones accounting for 60 percent of e-commerce visits by 2016.

According to a report by Bloomberg, the rise of smart phone shopping offers retailers with an opportunity to reach customers any time and any place. Merchants face obstacles in getting the most out of their mobile platforms. Those hurdles include lengthy checkout times and payment procedures that deter consumers from completing their orders. Demandware found that mobile-checkout completion is 11 percent lower than the combined rate from all other devices.

Rick Kenney, author of the study and head of consumer insights for Demandware, said: “If they can get it right on mobile today and tomorrow, that’s where they’re going to see a lot of value going forward.”

Sales outside of brick-and-mortar stores have grown in importance for merchants of all stripes. E-commerce accounted for $92.8 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2016 or 7.8 percent of total retail sales, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures. That’s up from 1.3 percent in at the same point in 2002.

The study further observes that the adoption of mobile shopping as more rapid and catching many retailers off guard. Sales from mobile more than doubled from 2013 to 2015, according to ComScore Inc, a research firm. Demandware projects by the end of next year, shoppers will place more orders on their phone than on any other device.

Technologies like Apple Pay, Android Pay and PayPal are offering retailers solutions to their struggles, and Kenney said larger phone screens and better mobile web-browsing capabilities will allow for an easier shopping experience.