UK consumers continue to shift towards using mobile devices for shopping online, with 40 per cent of UK online retail sales in Q4 2014 being completed on a tablet or smartphone.

The latest figures from IMRG and Capgemini show a 25 per cent increase in mobile adoption year-on-year, and an eight per cent rise on the previous quarters figures, the largest jump in a year, with Christmas shopping on mobile helping to drive penetration.

Of the sales made via mobile devices, tablets still dominate, with only 25 per cent of transactions completed using smartphones. However, this is an increase on the previous years figures, when tablets accounted for 80 per cent of sales, and smartphones only 20 per cent.

“The impact of mobile on general user behaviour has been extremely significant,” said Tina Spooner, chief information officer at IMRG. “Most of us now carry our phones around 24/7 and regard these devices as being a central part of everyday life.

“In an online shopping context, the smartphone has generally been regarded as a research tool for comparing prices and checking information primarily. Yet the number of mRetail sales completed via these devices has risen from one in five to one in four in the space of a year, and weve seen mobile conversion rates rise significantly over the same period as UK shoppers now clearly feel confident in using their smartphones for completing purchases.”