More than a quarter of online shopping sessions during December took place on mobile, with one device – the iPad – responsible for just over 79 per cent of online, non-desktop sales during the month, and iOS devices overall acounting for 97 per cent.

The figures come from the first UK Christmas Shopping Study from RichRelevance, which provides personalisation services to retailers.

The study analysed the shopping behaviour of 139m consumers on many of the UK’s largest retail websites during December. It was launched in order to give retailers new insights into how the proliferation of Tablets and smartphones is impacting the way British consumers shop and buy.

27 per cent of online shopping sessions in the UK occurred on a mobile device during December. In fact, from the beginning of the month, the mobile share of online shopping sessions grew steadily, rising from 23 per cent at the beginning of the month, to 31 per cent by 31 December.

In revenue terms, goods bought via mobile accounted for just over 8 per cent of total online sales. On Christmas Day, 43 per cent of all online shoppers were on a mobile device, while on Boxing Day, the number was 40 per cent. Mobile shoppers also spent more than their PC counterparts, with an average order value on mobile devices of £111.86, compared with £102.20 on PCs.

“mCommerce is rapidly becoming a top priority for the retail industry as customers look to connect with retailers anytime, anywhere,” says Darren Hitchcock, vice president, UK and European region, at RichRelevance. “This is evidenced by the fact that mobile devices accounted for more than a quarter of online shopping and nearly one in 10 pounds this Christmas. We are working in depth with the majority of our customers in support of their mobile initiatives to ensure consumers have a consistent and personalised experience, regardless of which channel they choose to shop.”

The UK Christmas Shopping Study is based on more than 139m online shopping sessions and 3.7m orders, placed between 1 and 31 December 2011 on the websites of UK retailers. The analysis was conducted on select large UK retailers who have deployed RichRelevance’s {RR} personalisation software suite.