So Cyber Monday/Mega Monday as you prefer (Monday 3 December in the UK) has been and gone, what’s the story?
According to IBM’s Digital Analytics Benchmark, IBM’s cloud-based web analytics platform that tracks e-commerce transactions by analysing raw data from 150 retailers in the UK, online sales increased by 15.8 per cent compared to the same day in 2011.
The number of consumers using a mobile device to visit a retailers site reached 21.7 per cent, up from 12.6 per cent on the same day in 2011. The number of consumers actually buying on their mobile device to increased from 9.7 per cent in 2011, to 14.2 per cent.
The iPad generated more traffic than any other tablet or smartphone, accounting for 10.6 per cent of online purchase, almost three times the 2011 figure. Next up was the iPhone at 6.9 per cent and all Android phones at 4 per cent. Shoppers referred from social networks generated 0.53 per cent of all online sales.
Average order value was down, however. Shoppers spent £100.16 on average per transaction this year, compared to £105.10 last year. The number of items per order was also down, at 3.52, compared to 3.96 last year. 
More figures, this time from Usablenet, confirm that Cyber Monday was the biggest online shopping day of the year in the UK. Based on data from a selection of Usablenet-built mobile sites, including ASOS, Marks & Spencer, Selfridges, Carphone Warehouse and Topshop, tha stats show a 36 per cent increase in mobile site traffic compared to Cyber Monday 2011, and a 10 per cent growth in tablet traffic. There was also a 40 per cent increase in mobile page views compared with 2011. London was the most smartphone-savvy city, with 40 per cent of overall traffic.
Carin Van Vuuren, marketing chief for Usablenet, believes the rise in tablet traffic is significant for retailers. “Not only is it becoming the fastest growing channel, but users have a higher basket value than smartphone shoppers, and it is a more convenient shopping experience due to a larger screen,” said Van Vuuren.
