mCommerce sales in the UK increased 186.5 per cent per cent in December 2011 compared to the same period a year, according to cloud-based analytics from IBM. Mobile shoppers accounted for 12.9 of online sales, up from 5.6 per cent in December 2010.

The IBM Benchmark Christmas Season report, part of IBMs Smarter Commerce initiative, also found that 15 per cent of all visits to retailers sites were initiated from a mobile device in December, up from 5.6 per cent a year previous – an increase of 169 per cent.

“This Christmas shopping season has been characterised by consumers looking for deals and increasingly using their mobiles to shop online,” says Andrew Jackson-Proes, EMM leader, UK & Ireland, at IBM. “The report demonstrates that retailers can really benefit from Smarter Commerce initiatives by meeting their customers’ expectations for offers and service via any device.”

The iPhone was the most popular source of mobile device retail traffic, according to the report, representing 6.4 per cent of the total. Android came third at 3.6 per cent, behind the iPad. Shoppers using the iPad also continued to drive more retail purchases than any other device, with conversion rates reaching 6.1 per cent, compared to 3.8 per cent for all mobile devices.

Meanwhile, the overall online retail sales increased by 5.4 per cent against December 2010.