A 43 per cent rise in spending via mobile devices is expected to be seen in 2015, a forecast revealed in research commissioned by PayPal.
Taking into account the habits of over 17,500 consumers in 22 countries around the world, including Australia, the research revealed the amount spent via mobile will likely reach AUD$8.8 billion this year.
The projection for total online spending is not expected to see as big a growth as the mobile sector, with data predicting a 10 per cent rise to AUD$50 billion.
“We are well and truly entering the mobile-first era,” Emma Hunt, Director of Small Business at PayPal Australia, said.
“In Australia, one in three PayPal transactions now takes place on a mobile device and globally mobile transactions account for nearly 20 per cent of our total payment volume.”
The global annual growth rate for mobile commerce from 2013-2016 is projected at 42 per cent, while overall e-commerce has an annual growth rate at 13 per cent. Australia’s projected growth of mobile spending is at 204 per cent.
The research, based off 17,519 adults who own and/or use an internet enabled device, found that smartphone purchases account for only 9 per cent of online spending. Tablets are also a small part of online pending, making up just 5 per cent of online spend. Laptops, desktops and notebooks, together, make up for 85 per cent of all online spending.
Nevertheless, mobile shopping is growing quite fast. 33 per cent of Australian online shoppers said they purchased something from their smartphone in the past year.
“Advanced smartphone technology and improved mobile device security are lowering barriers to widespread adoption of mobile commerce,” Ms Hunt said.
