Very.co.uk Owner Shop Direct Says Mobile Traffic Overtakes Desktop For The First Time

Shop Direct, the owner of sites including isme.com and Very.co.uk, said traffic from smartphones and tablets have outstripped desktop computers for the first time.

The online giant, whose internet and catalogue sales are around £1.7 billion, said mobile visits to its six 'digital department store' websites in the six weeks to December 7 were 50.4 per cent of total traffic.

Traffic from tablets increased 120 per cent in the period and 105.2 per cent from smartphones compared to the same period last year.

The six sites, which also include Littlewoods.com, received a daily average of 1.3 million visits during the period -  a 23 per cent rise on last year.

The number of orders made on mobile devices almost doubled - increasing by 97 per cent. The value of mobile orders rose 91.6 per cent.

Group retail and strategy director Gareth Jones said: 'We knew that this Christmas would be massive for mobile but all signs indicate that it's going to smash our early expectations.'

'To have topped 50 per cent of traffic from mobile before we got into the peak weeks of December highlights the increasing power of these devices and of shoppers in dictating the retail agenda. We haven't actively pushed customers onto mobile – they've adopted these devices willingly for their convenience and ease of use.'

Jones said: 'It's not just a case of people switching from desktop to mobile in the evening either, although that of course plays a part. In fact, the biggest growth in mobile traffic that we've seen has occurred between 6.00am and 12.00pm, which would indicate a real shift in customer behaviour.'

He said: 'More and more of our customers are now snacking on their mobile devices on the way into work in the morning. They tend to use this time to browse, compare and share products with their friends. Afternoons and evenings then tend to be the times that most people go on to transact.'

Black Friday 'played a significant part' in the mobile growth over recent weeks as customers checked sites throughout the day for new deals, he said. 

He continued:'But traffic levels are showing no sign of slowing, which is particularly pleasing. Where this goes next Christmas, with wearable technology and other new innovations coming down the track, will be fascinating to see.