In the first few months of 2024, consistent double-digit growth in mobile spend has put it neck-and-neck with desktop shopping, according to new Adobe Analytics data. At this trajectory, Adobe sees a tipping point in the months ahead.
The holiday shopping season (November and December), which already saw mobile dominate last year, is expected to see even stronger growth this year. Going into 2025, Adobe is forecasting that mobile shopping will consistently eclipse desktop, in months outside of the holiday season.
A slow and steady shift in consumer behavior
Back in the 2021 holiday season, more than two in five (43%) online sales were driven by mobile devices, a modest increase from the year prior (2020) at 40%. In the years that followed, consumer demand for speed and convenience, combined with improved mobile shopping experiences, has driven a steady uptick in mobile usage.
By the 2023 season, mobile overtook desktop for the first time, driving 51% of online sales and in the upcoming season, Adobe expects 53% of online sales to come through mobile devices. Every month so far in 2024 has seen mobile share rising on a year-over-year (YoY) basis.
In January 2024, mobile accounted for 46.7% of all online sales, but by July 2024, it reached 49.3%. Across these seven months, mobile share landed at 47.7% on average (up from 46.6% in the comparable period last year). This amounted to a record $280.4 billion spent through mobile devices, representing 10.2% growth YoY.
Mobile growth supported by groceries, cosmetics and apparel
The rise in mobile shopping has been bolstered by growth in certain e-commerce categories. Groceries is one of note, where mobile drove a significant 68.2% share of online sales in July 2024. In this category, mobile had already overtaken desktop shopping in April 2021 and has remained the dominant transaction channel since.
Groceries will continue to boost mobile shopping, given its standing as a high-growth e-commerce category. Across both desktop and mobile, $66.9 billion was spent online for groceries from January to July 2024, up 15% YoY.
A similar trend has been observed in personal care with 77% of online sales coming through mobile devices in July 2024, having overtaken desktop in July 2019. Mobile is also the dominant transaction channel in apparel at 60.8% share in July 2024, having overtaken desktop in May 2020.
Other major categories such as electronics has seen less traction on mobile, where share currently sits at 21.3% (July 2024). The same can be said for the home improvement category, where mobile share sits at 33.3% (July 2024).
“Adobe Analytics data shows that consumers have embraced mobile shopping for purchases that are more frequent and lower in price, but we expect larger purchase will begin to shift towards smaller screens as well,” Adobe Digital Insights lead analyst, Vivek Pandya said.
“Adobe’s data also shows that basket sizes on mobile are 32 percent smaller than on desktop, which presents both a challenge and opportunity for brands to refine mobile experiences and close the gap to drive revenue.”