Retail MCommerce Sales To Top $40B By 2017

By Pete Rizzo (@pete_rizzo_) 

Released on September 5, a new report from eMarketer has predicted that U.S. mobile commerce sales will exceed $41 billion by 2017. Further, it anticipated that the total value of all sales made on mobile devices will pass $110 billion by this time.

The study found eMarketer looking forward not just five years into the future, but to the upcoming holiday season to assess the more immediate impact mobile will have on retail eCommerce. EMarketer anticipates that U.S. holiday retail eCommerce sales will rise by 15 percent this year to top $60 billion.

EMarketer determined that mobile should contribute strongly to the upcoming holiday retail season, and that it will continue to drive a growing share of U.S. eCommerce sales – even as the pace of its growth slows. The study also elaborated on exactly how mobile is becoming an increasingly effective tool retailers can leverage to generate sales.

“EMarketer believes mobile devices contribute to overall commerce sales growth in two ways, both as a driver of total sales, as more consumers make purchases on their smartphones and tablets, and, increasingly, as a shopping research tool, driving consumers into stores or back to desktops where they complete transactions,” eMarketer wrote on September 5.

In this PYMNTS.com Data Point, we’ll break down the study’s major findings to reveal what eMarketer believes the future may hold for mobile commerce.

MCommerce Will Exceed 2013 Holiday Sales Estimates

EMarketer forecasted that mCommerce will play “an important part in overall digital holiday retail spending,” accounting for a “larger-than-expected” share of U.S. retail eCommerce sales.

The study predicted that mobile’s share of total holiday eCommerce spending will reach 16 percent in 2013, up from the 15 percent observed in 2012. The findings were revised from earlier estimates based on record-high retail eCommerce sales earlier this year, and increased retailer investment in mobile offerings.

Total U.S. Retail mCommerce Sales: 2013 And Beyond

EMarketer’s predictions concluded with the year 2017, but the researchers also estimated how mCommerce would grow annually to meet this total. The study indicated retail mCommerce sales will jump to $56.7 billion in 2014, $75 billion in 2015 and $96.8 billion by 2016.

Tablets were named as a significant driver of this mCommerce growth. The report suggested that more Americans will begin to use the devices and tablet retail sites as they become more rich and responsive.

How Mobile Devices Will Contribute To Future mCommerce Sales

Tablets are expected to account for $26 billion, or 62.5 percent of U.S. mCommerce sales this year, up from 56.2 percent in 2012. By the year’s end, the share of the market claimed by smartphones will drop to 35 percent.

EMarketer indicated that smartphones are likely to play a diminishing role in eCommerce through 2017, and provided detailed statistics on both total retail mCommerce sales by device and the percent change in growth that would be observed for each year.

For more details insight and analysis on how tablets and smartphones are driving mCommerce, read our PYMNTS.com Infographic “Which Device Rules Home Shopping?”