M-commerce is continuing to grow in the retail space, a report has suggested.
In its Online Retail Index IBM said that the new way to spend money has been growing in popularity with smartphone owners opting to use this over traditional means of shopping.
According to the report, mobile commerce grew by 31 percent in the first quarter of this year, up from the same time in 2012. It said the technology now accounted for 17.4 percent of all online retail sales. The figures were also up from 13.3 percent in the year-earlier period.
IBM said that the trend had grown as a result of many shoppers liking the freedom m-commerce offered, enabling them to shop more frequently and, in some cases, spend more money. It also pointed out that the growth of interactive technologies, such as augmented reality and QR codes, which offered discounts for shoppers using m-commerce sites, had helped boost the adoption of mobile commerce.
And tablets have also fueled the shopping frenzy, with IBM noting this technology’s larger screens, navigation and easier touch functions made online shopping easier.
IBM said that the growth would continue as a result of retailers embracing the trend and offering their customers sites that catered for m-commerce.
