Mobile retail sales growth is slowing, according to IMRGs February e-Retail Index. Although sales on mobile were up 184 per cent in February 2013 compared to a year earlier, this is a drop from January, which saw a 193 per cent increase year-on-year, with December 2012 up 207 per cent. Overall, mobile sales in 2012 were up 304 per cent on 2011. 

Mobile conversion rates have largely held strong, tipping over two per cent in November last year, peaking in January at 2.6 per cent and at 2.3 per cent in February 2013. Online retail sales in February rose 13 per cent year-on-year, but average basket value was at its lowest since October 2008.

“The mobile growth rate has slowed by around a third over the last three months or so compared with 2012, which is perhaps inevitable after the boom in tablet sales last year that has no doubt driven it,” said Tina Spooner, Chief Information Officer at IMRG. “As the use of mobile devices as internet portals has also become widespread, it has turned mobile into a viable sales channel as evidenced by the rise in conversion rate.”