By Greg Zakowicz, senior commerce marketing analyst at Bronto

In short:

  • Year over year, both ecommerce and mobile commerce (mcommerce) are growing in total sales and percentage of total retail sales.
  • Experts predict that by 2021, mcommerce will make up more than 50 percent of total ecommerce sales. Commerce marketers who don’t optimize by then will find themselves left in the dust.
  • Prepare for this mobile explosion by ensuring your website and emails are optimized for mobile and your emails, recommendations and search results are relevant to users.


“Change with the times, or the times will change you.”

These words have never been truer. Mobile devices, especially smartphones, are changing the game for retailers. Mobile is more than just the way emails render; it’s the primary way people consume information. Consider the stats:

  • Since 2013, adults have increased the amount of time they spend viewing media on mobile devices by more than an hour per day, according to a recent eMarketer study. The average adult now spends 3 hours and 17 minutes viewing media on their phone, while their TV time has declined to 3 hours and 58 minutes per day.
  • The smartphone is the primary device used to access the Internet, according to Fluent. Fifty-five percent of Internet users go online via their phone, while only 26 percent prefer a laptop or desktop.

What does this mean for commerce marketers? Has this trend toward mobile been overstated? How quickly are things changing? Let’s take a look at what the industry has seen and how you can prepare for what’s coming our way.

Ecommerce is not only growing but also taking an increased percentage of total retail sales.


According to eMarketer, ecommerce sales accounted for roughly $453 billion in 2017, which was more than 9 percent of total retail sales. That’s a significant increase from the year before, during which ecommerce sales totaled $391 billion and accounted for 8.2 percent of total retail sales.


When we look at sales from mobile commerce, 2017 clocked in at $156 billion – that’s 34 percent of total ecommerce sales. In 2016, by contrast, mobile commerce accounted for $113 billion in sales and nearly 29 percent of total ecommerce sales. Once again, we see not only strong overall growth but the increased contribution of mobile to online sales.


It’s time to get serious about mobile.


Experts predict that by 2021, mcommerce will make up more than 50 percent of total ecommerce sales. Today, optimizing for mobile is considered important. But in only a few short years, failing to optimize will leave you officially behind the times.


Prepare for the mobile explosion by analyzing where you need improvement.


Here are a few things commerce marketers should consider as mobile continues to grow:

  • Are your checkout pages optimized for mobile? Are they integrated with mobile payment solutions such as Apple Pay? The days of filling out long forms on mobile devices, manually moving from one box to the next, are on their way out.
  • Is your website completely mobile-friendly from search to checkout?
  • Are your emails designed for mobile?
  • Are your communications relevant? If emails, recommendations and search results are not relevant, consumers will simply move on.

The bottom line: According to Statistica, the average mobile user checks their phone 150 times each day. They can do whatever they want, wherever they want, whenever they want. They can find any product they are looking for, regardless of where in the world it’s located. If you don’t provide a frictionless, relevant, up-to-date user experience, someone else will.

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