62% of consumers with web-connected mobile devices are buying goods via mobile

Mobile commerce may be maturing at a quicker rate than many experts have predicted, according to a report from Adobe Scene7. 62% of consumers with web-connected mobile devices have purchased merchandise in a wide range of product categories using their mobile devices, the survey of 1,200 U.S. adult consumers who own these devices finds. The total annual spending via mobile however, remains less than the average spend via PC.

It has to noted though that the respondents' mobile commerce adoption rate is significantly higher in this report than current estimates for the overall population because respondents to this survey all own devices such as smartphones that connect to the web.

Spending via PC outruns Mobile by far
While more consumers are becoming comfortable shopping via mobile device, the Adobe Scene7 report finds they still don’t spend close to the amount they do via PC. The greatest segment of mobile shoppers, 45%, spent $249 or less via mobile during the last 12 months, the report says. By comparison, the average annual online spend per shopper in the US in 2010 was $1,139 according to an estimate from research firm eMarketer.

Still, 62% is a strong sign for the future of mobile commerce, even among a group skewed toward smartphone owners. Mobile revenues are poised for big growth, many experts predict. U.S. mobile commerce sales are expected to hit $5.3 billion in 2011, up 83% from a year ago, according to Barclays Capital.

iPhone users are the biggest spenders
Users of iPhones, men and adults age 30-49 purchase more frequently, buy goods in more categories and generally spend more time shopping than their peers, the report also finds. Users of iPhones overall also spend more—66% report spending $250 or more on mobile purchases in the last 12 months. BlackBerry users rank second with 58% spending $250 or more.

Most popular products
Movies, music and games, according to Adobe, are the most popular buys, purchased by 43% of mobile shoppers. That was trailed by clothing, shoes and jewelry at 30%; electronics at 28%; and books, magazines and newspapers at 26%.

Positive Experience
The report finds most mobile shoppers are content with their experience. 80% rate their mobile shopping experience above average. And shoppers are about equally happy with m-commerce sites versus mobile apps. However, for some shopping activities such as researching products and comparing prices, a majority of respondents favor using mobile sites over apps. Two-thirds of the respondents say they prefer sites to apps for accessing product and other shopping content.

Most appreciated features
So what mobile shopping features do consumers most appreciate?
- Easy checkout (57% of shoppers)
- Product and pricing information (53%)
- Visual information, such as full-screen product view (42%)
- Simple keyword search (40%)

For visual tools, other featuers count more: 54% say 360-degree spin is the aid that has potential to prompt them to buy. Side-by-side product comparisons (49%) and interactive zoom and pan (44%) follow. Respondents rank these features ahead of simple keyword search and customer ratings and reviews.

Full-screen image zoom with “next/previous” touchscreen buttons to navigate forward and backward ties with full-screen horizontal scrolling with dragging or flicking images left and right as the top preferred ways to scan pages or screens. Both of these viewing experiences were selected by nearly half of the respondents.

Source: InternetRetailer