Mobile devices accounted for 20 per cent of eCommerce sales in the UK in Q1, 2013, according to figures from IMRG and Capgemini. Thats up from 15 per cent in Q4, 2012 – a jump which seems to have stemmed from a surge in tablet ownership over Christmas.

Mobile devices also made up 30 per cent of visits to eCommerce sites in Q1, up from 24 per cent. At first glance, thats even better news, but its worth noting that visits outperforming purchases means a low conversion rate.

“At the beginning of 2010, mobile sales accounted for just 0.4 per cent of the UK online retail market – within three years it has surged a staggering 5,000 per cent,” said Tina Spooner, chief information officer at IMRG. “With the continuing shift away from desktop to mobile internet use, it is inevitable we will see the latter platform outstrip desktop PCs as the preferred device for shopping online, and from the latest figures it is apparent this may be sooner than expected.”