Businesses who sell products and services online should increase their focus on optimizing mobile sites, according to a PayPal Canada report released February 18.
More and more, Canadians are turning away from their desktops and laptops and picking up their phones and tablets when it comes time to make an online purchase.
In 2013, Canadians spent $3.45 billion on mobile commerce alone. By 2016, that number is expected to increase 142% to almost $5 billion.
“We are at the dawn of a mobile-first era,” said PayPal Canada head of mobile and market development Alexander Peh.
“At PayPal, we’ve seen our mobile growth rise from less than 1% of our payment volume in 2010 to more than 20% in 2014.”
In the past 12 months, almost a fifth of all online shoppers report having used their smartphones to make purchases. A further 15% say they used tablets.
Shoppers using their mobile devices say they prefer using apps as opposed to mobile browsers.
Perhaps not surprisingly, Millennials – defined as those between 18 and 34 – are leading the charge when it comes to smartphone-based purchases. Slightly more than half – 52% – of those in this age range say they’ve used this method of buying online.
The number one reason smartphone shoppers cite for their choice is convenience (27%), followed by speed of payment (25%).
Among those who still choose to use desktops or laptops when buying online, security concerns were cited as a major reason by 34% of those surveyed. A further 38% say they don’t like using their smartphones for making purchases because they feel the screens are too small.
