ComScore: Mobile Spending Hits “Critical Mass”

By Pete Rizzo, Editor (@pete_rizzo_)

ComScore released the results of its “U.S. Mobile Commerce Sales Estimates” for the first half of 2013 on August 27, revealing that mobile tablets and smartphones now account for one out of every 10 eCommerce dollars spent by U.S. consumers.

The Virginia-based analytics firm said its findings illustrate how mCommerce has hit a tipping point that online merchants would be unwise to ignore.

“Any channel shift has the potential to be disruptive to established revenue streams, and it would appear that mCommerce spending has reached enough of a critical mass that key stakeholders must begin to address this new market dynamic today or risk losing competitive advantage,” comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni said.

ComScore also unveiled new mCommerce measurement capabilities with the report. Designed to provide a greater level of detail to its mCommerce data, comScore said the measurement functionality now allows it to track spending via smartphone and tablets.

MCommece Spending Passes $10B

ComScore found that mCommerce spending for the first half of 2013 passed $10 billion to reach $10.6 billion. During the second quarter, mCommerce grew at a rate of 24 percent to total $4.7 billion. This figure was up from $5.9 billion during the first quarter, and $3.8 billion during the same period in 2012.

The findings led comScore to project that mCommerce spending will top $25 billion in 2013.

Smartphones Lead MCommerce Spending

ComScore’s new measurement capabilities revealed smartphone owners to be the true drivers of mCommerce sales. Smartphones accounted for 6 percent of all digital commerce spending, while tablets accounted for just 3.5 percent during the first half of 2013.

Smartphones led tablets in total digital commerce spending in a number of product categories, trailing only in consumer electronics spending. However, desktop computers continued to command the majority of consumer spending across all categories.

ComScore’s findings, however, don’t paint a full picture of tablet and smartphone spending. For example, an August 12 study from Nielsen found that tablets are the main driver of at-home mCommerce purchases.

For our analysis of comScore’s first-half eCommerce spending data, click here.   

And for more about how mobile is changing commerce, click here.