The number of UK shoppers adding an item to an online shopping cart via their phone was up 15 per cent year on year, making smartphones the primary driver for a 26 per cent increase in basket creation over the past year.

The figures come from cloud commerce firm Demandwares Q2 Shopping Index, which measures digital commerce growth and identifies trends based on analysis of over 200m shoppers who interact with sites powered by its retail solutions.

“Retailers in the UK have seen the largest boost in phone orders – with 25 per cent of all transactions coming via phone, a 45 per cent increase year over year,” said Rick Kenney, industry principal at Demandware.

“Reflecting this, Demandware is advising retailers that it is essential for brands to seamlessly integrate mobile into their global commerce strategies to help drive growth, but that local preferences and behaviours must be considered when entering new markets.”

While 65 per cent of all digital commerce orders are still taking place on computers, commerce is becoming more of a cross-device activity than ever, with customer journeys spanning devices during research and basket creation.

As consumers become more comfortable with transacting on smartphones, activity on tablets has dropped, with traffic share down 10 per cent year on year. However, order share has held more or less steady.

“Whats clear from this quarters data is the relentless move towards phones for browsing and purchasing,” said Elana Anders, senior vice president of worldwide marketing for Demandware. “As we move into the peak shopping season, retailers must enable personalisation at every touch point – whether on mobile, online, in-store or on a social platform.”