Mobile Buying Doubles in 1Q 2012 May 18, 2012

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The U.S. retail industry saw continued growth in mobile buying trends in the first-quarter, according to a new IBM retail economic indicator. The report said mobile commerce (sales from mobile devices) reached 13.3%, up from the 7% in Q1 2011.

The study also found that 17.1% of all online sessions on a retailer's site came from a mobile device - a big jump from 6.1% in the first quarter of 2011. The devices most often used were:
* Apple iPhone, with 6.5% of retail traffic
* Android with 5.9%
* Apple iPad with 5.3%

Social network traffic referrals are not showing the same rate of growth. The report said that shoppers referred from Social Networks generated 1.1% of all online traffic in 1Q 2012 - the same as the 1.1% seen in 1Q 2011.

Shoppers who are referred to retailer sites from Social Networks generated 2.4% of all online sales in 1Q 2012, up from 1.7% in 1Q 2011.

Online Retail Categories in 1Q 2012 compared to 1Q 2011:
* Department stores sales grew 20.4%
* Home goods sales grew 29.3%
* Office Supply/Electronics sales grew 6.6%

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