It isn’t news to anyone in 2021 that the world is moving its commerce to smartphones, whether they are business owners, marketers, techies or others. Online shopping has also become more popular with mobile devices – which is where mobile commerce revolution comes into play.
What is Mobile Commerce?
A mobile commerce transaction, also known as Mcommerce, occurs when money is exchanged using a mobile device, such as a phone or tablet. Using a mobile phone or tablet, users can sell and buy goods and services from almost anywhere, an advancement of ecommerce.
The mobile retailing industry is more than just an extension of electronic commerce. As a result, new industries and services have been created, or existing ones have grown, including:
- Digital content purchases and delivery
- Mobile banking
- Contactless payments and in-app payments
- Mobile money transfers.
- Electronic ticketing and boarding pass
Mobile retail e-commerce sales in the United States from 2019 to 2025
Mcommerce Facts That Prove it’s the Future
What’s driving Mcommerce, what can you expect to see in the future, and what do the numbers say? Just take a look at these 50 mobile ecommerce statistics to gain more clarity into what lies ahead for this burgeoning subindustry of ecommerce, culled from information we’ve gathered spanning from 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and today.
➡️ A total of $3.56 trillion is expected to be spent on ecommerce by the end of the year: In other words, the total sales for 2020 have increased by over 22.3% to $2.91 trillion. It is estimated that mcommerce has grown by 33.8% on average a year since 2016! The trend is not slowing down. (Tech Jury)
➡️ In terms of share of e-commerce, mcommerce has increased to 72.9%: From its 52.4% market share in 2016, mcommerce sales in ecommerce have grown dramatically. According to mobile commerce versus desktop commerce statistics, 72.9% of ecommerce sales now come from mobile; that’s almost three-fourths of all ecommerce sales. (Oberlo)
➡️ Market revenue for mcommerce is expected to increase most in European and North American countries between 2020 and 2024: Europe and North America will bring the most profits for ecommerce in 2024. There are also reports indicating that more users will be found in countries in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. (Insider Intelligence)
➡️ Mobile coupons are expected to grow in the global market: Recent mobile coupon statistics find that mobile coupons were used by over 25 million Americans in 2018. These coupons encourage consumers to complete a purchase for a special value. Mobile coupons are predicted to grow at a CAGR of 73.14% from 2016 to 2020. (ReadyCloud)
➡️ According to estimates, the mobile wallet market will reach $3.5 trillion by 2023: The advantage of mobile wallets is that you do not have to enter credit card information and shipping addresses. These details are stored securely. Surveys find that most users say mobile wallets make their shopping experience more enjoyable. The market for mobile wallets has increased since then. In 2013, it was valued at $1.65 trillion. (Venture Beat)
➡️ More than 5.2 billion people use mobile phones worldwide: About 5.07 billion people lived in the world at the end of 2019. People seem to be addicted to their mobile phones. Americans spend an average of 5.4 hours daily on their mobile phones, according to reports. (Data Report)
➡️ Mobile devices are used by 75% of customers to make purchases: Mobile phone purchases are said to save customers time. The development of mobile payment options is allowing mobile shopping to become more convenient, according to mcommerce statistics for 2021 that we culled. However, 90% of mobile shoppers believe the mobile shopping experience could be improved. (Digital Commerce 360)
➡️ Mcommerce can’t ignore the power of social media: The use of social media allows brands to reach out to potential customers and promote their products. Emerging social commerce statistics find that it has been reported that 55% of smartphone shoppers have purchased a product after seeing it on social media. More than that, social media presence has led to 32% more sales for stores. Additionally, 60% of consumer research for new products and services is done through social media. (ReadyCloud)
➡️ Among Americans, Amazon is considered the most popular shopping app: With more than 150.6 million mobile users accessing its app in Q4 2019, Amazon is the leader in the shopping app category. This represents 80.64% of the total mobile population. Second place goes to Walmart, with 86.05 million monthly users, representing 46.1% of mobile users. The most popular mobile site is reported to be eBay, with 33.28%. Statistics from the shopping apps market show that Amazon earns more money than any of its competitors and has more users than Walmart and eBay combined. (Statista)
➡️ Window shopping online is just for fun for 67% of customers: The statistics on shopping apps indicate that 77% of online window shoppers who do so for fun make impulse purchases. A retail store can take advantage of these impromptu shoppers with properly optimized SEO product descriptions that drive new sales. (Optin Monster)
➡️ Shopping conversions are higher on iOS than on Android: 49% of global customers are shopping with their smartphones in 2021, according to global mcommerce statistics. However, the investigation revealed that iOS leads to higher shopping conversions with values of 2.11% and 1.81%, respectively. (Wolfgang Digital)
➡️ The global mobile phone population is expected to reach 67.1% by next year: 5.27 unique users of mobile phones represent 67.1% of the global population. This number is growing by 1.9% annually! (Statista)
➡️ More than half of the population of the world owns a smartphone: 3.80 billion Smartphones are expected to be in use by 2022. That’s 48.33% of the world’s population. Considering only 33.58% of Americans owned a smartphone in 2016, the growth is enormous. (Statista)
➡️ In the last six months, 79% of smartphone owners have used their devices to make an online purchase: It’s hard to imagine how many people there are in the world. Mobile commerce is taking advantage of people’s move to more innovative phones. Almost 4 out of 5 smartphone users have purchased at least one item in the past six months. They include both those engaging in mobile transactions for the first time and those joining the large cohort that has already switched. (Statista)
➡️ In 2021, mobile commerce was expected to generate 53.9% of all retail ecommerce in the United States: A massive increase in mcommerce contributed to the growth of this share in 2017. Several factors are driving the mobile commerce sales forecast, including the popularity of mobile devices, the enhancement of their features, and customers’ comfort with shopping online. (Statista)
➡️ By next year, mcommerce will constitute 72.9% of all ecommerce worldwide: By 2022, mcommerce is expected to account for 72.9% of all ecommerce in emerging markets, significantly more significant than the global share of e-commerce. (Statista)
➡️ $2.3T was predicted to be generated by global e-commerce: In absolute terms, what does this mean? In 2016, mobile ecommerce sales amounted to $0.97 trillion, but they are expected to reach $3.56 trillion by 2021, increasing more than 250%. Ticket sales for travel and events are excluded from this figure. (Statista)
➡️ According to research from the World Bank, global mobile commerce is growing at 29% more than ecommerce at 22%: By Comparing mcommerce growth to ecommerce growth, the above figures give a clear picture. Compared to other types of commerce, mcommerce is growing at a high-speed rate. (World Bank)
➡️In 2020, the U.S. mobile retail industry was expected to generate $339.03B in revenues: In just two years, between 2018 and 2020, mobile retail revenues in the U.S. were forecast to grow by 63.4%. (Statista)
➡️ The number of mobile shoppers grew from 8% to 15%, while desktop shoppers dropped from 78% to 63%: It is worthwhile to look at some mcommerce statistics from the past to put 2021’s into perspective. U.S. online shoppers shopping on smartphones nearly doubled from 8% to 15% between 2016 and 2017. In addition, 5% of U.S. online shoppers shopped on tablets between 2016 and 2017. As a result of this increase, the share of desktop shopping dropped from 78% to 63%. (Statista)
➡️ The fastest-growing ecommerce categories are also the ones with the highest mobile share: A higher percentage of mobile purchases are made by consumers who purchase relatively low-cost products, such as video games, movies, and digital content. A lower percentage of purchases are made by those who purchase expensive items, such as computer hardware. Mobile usage statistics suggest that mobile enables more purchases that were previously less likely to be made online altogether, highlighting the importance of removing the friction of mobile shopping (smaller screens, privacy concerns, etc.) for retailers. (Statista)
Need Even More Tips?
We leave you with this illustrated infographic to better help you understand some of the most pertinent statistics you should know about mobile commerce in 2022 and beyond.
