Global shoppers are expected to spend about $119bn on goods and services purchased through mobile phones in 2015, accounting for about 8% of the total e-commerce market, according to a report from ABI Research.
According to the study, the mobile online shopping market in Japan exceeded $10bn in 2009, while the US market spent more than $1bn. European market is also growing rapidly, and is expected to outpace the US by the end of 2010.
The study found consumers were checking out products in bricks-and-mortar retail stores and using their phones for comparison shopping, in the fourth quarter of 2009. The firm said that the trade in virtual goods, generally associated with online gaming has also seen rapid uptake.
Mark Beccue, senior analyst at ABI Research, said: “Mobile online shopping is reaching critical mass. In the United States, mobile online shopping rose from $396m in 2008 to $1.2bn in 2009. While definitions of ‘mass market adoption’ vary, a more than threefold increase in one year indicates significant consumer interest.
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“The driver for mobile online shopping in the US has been the recent sharp spike in smartphone adoption and the corresponding enthusiasm for mobile internet. Also, many more retailers have been launching mobile commerce websites.”
