Is Mobile Shopping a Better Experience Than Desktop Shopping?

Shopping on mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) is expected to account for more online purchases this holiday season than desktops and laptops for the first time as consumers get increasingly comfortable transacting on smaller screens, according to Adobe’s holiday forecast.

Mobile spending, according to Adobe, is set to hit a record $113 billion, representing 51.2% of all U.S. online holiday purchases and up 13.7% year over year, “with usage peaking on days when consumers are likely with friends and family, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

The growth in part reflects increased ownership of mobile devices. In April 2021, Pew Research Center found that 85% of Americans own a smartphone and roughly half own a tablet, and in October 2023, ConsumerAffairs reported that around 92% of Americans now have at least one smartphone.

The convenience of being able to shop wherever and whenever — whether waiting in line, commuting, or relaxing at home — is seen as the biggest advantage mobile has over desktop shopping. Investments in intuitive mobile apps and optimized mobile websites have streamlined browsing and checkout to reduce the challenges of shopping on a smaller screen. Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok have also added “buy now” buttons.

Mobile commerce further allows retailers to interact immediately with customers via push notifications or direct messages, enabling personalized recommendations as well as exclusive promotions, including app-only Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.

Inside stores, the top five uses of mobile devices were found to be using loyalty cards or coupons stored on their smartphone, comparing prices (i.e., Google, Amazon), visiting a retailer's website, using a retailer's app, and reading user reviews, according to a recent global survey from Airship.

Statista research earlier this year found mobile commerce already making up the majority of online purchases globally, contributing 59% of e-commerce sales in 2022 and expected to reach 62% in 2027. Statista wrote in its research, “As consumers spend more time on their phones and tablets and have grown to value the convenience of ticking off their ever-increasing online shopping list wherever they are — may that be on the go or on the couch — mobile e-commerce sales are poised to grow further.”

Research from eMarketer found sales via mobile devices growing at twice the rate of sales via laptops and desktop devices, projecting that they will reach almost half of all U.S. online sales by 2027.“Retailers need to adopt a mobile-first approach,” eMarketer said. “As the balance shifts in the e-commerce market, retailers need to put mobile front and center of their strategies. They should leverage data-driven insights to offer personalized, convenient shopping experiences — and prioritize in-store mobile integration — to cater to the fast-evolving needs of mobile-savvy consumers.”