THE E-COMMERCE REPORT: Spending Habits, Cross-Device Trends, And The Mobile Web's Importance

It may come as a surprise that the mobile web is actually a more popular place to shop compared to e-commerce apps, which means having a high-performing mobile site is just as important as having a great app.

In a new BI Intelligence report, we look at broad e-commerce trends and then dive into mobile shopping habits and the relative importance of the mobile web and app experiences. We also look at how individual retailers' mobile sites actually perform and at the breakdown of retailer audiences on the browser compared to the app.

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Here are some of the key findings from the report:

• 58% of mobile retail dollars going to the top 500 mobile retailers will come from the mobile web this year, with in-app purchases accounting for the rest, according to Internet Retailer.
• The mobile web is also how many consumers prefer to shop on a mobile device. 51% of shoppers were more interested in shopping on the mobile web over apps on their smartphones in 2013, according to Adobe data.
• The mobile browser, which is often a gateway to retailer sites, is an important first stop for shoppers using their smartphones in a store. 82% of smartphone shoppers say they use a mobile browser's search function to research products when they're in a store, according to a 2013 study conducted by Google. Another 62% say they go directly to a retailer's mobile website, while only 21% use a retailer's mobile app in a store.
• Yet, despite the mobile web's importance to shoppers, retailers under-utilize their resources for selling through this popular shopping channel. Only 60% of the top 100 global retailers have a dedicated mobile website. In fact, 32% are still showing mobile users a desktop-optimized version of their website on mobile devices. And only nine of the top 100 retailers have a responsively designed site, the format recommended by Google.

In full, the report:

• Looks at how shoppers use the mobile web during different stages leading up to a purchase
• Identifies what leads consumers to use a mobile shopping app versus a mobile site, and vice versa
• Examines how retailers should leverage both the mobile web and apps
• Benchmarks the performance of top mobile retailers and their competitors
• Notes the wide variation in how retailers' audiences are breaking down between the brower and the app

To access the Mobile Commerce Report and BI Intelligence's ongoing coverage on the future of retail, mobile, and e-commerce - including charts, data, and analysis - sign up for a risk-free trial.

Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.