iPad and tablet conversion rates are double that of desktops, and almost twice as high as other mobile devices, according to stats that show the value of tablet users for online retailers. According to stats from Affiliate Window’s M-commerce white paper http://blog.affiliatewindow.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/M-Commerce-The-Complete-Picture2.pdf the average conversion rate for iPad was 3.82% in August, compared to 1.9% for desktop (i.e. non-mobile). The stats cover 81.9m visits to merchants and 1.57m sales, not including In-App purchases except in cases where the customer is taken out of the app to complete the transaction.
Stats from eBay, quoted in M-commerce’s Innovation Briefing
http://econsultancy.com/uk/reports/m-commerce-innovation-briefing, echo this trend, with the company stating that tablet users spend 50% more than PC users. Conversion rates are also higher for iPads compared to the tablets, not only are average order values higher [AOV of £69.94, compared to £65 for desktops], but the iPad is converting better than desktop, as well as all other mobile devices. And by some distance too. The average iPad conversion rate for August was 3.82%, with the next best 2.58% for Android. Non-mobile was way behind on 1.9%.
These stats then, would suggest that b2c online retailers should ensure their website is optimised for tablets to take full advantage of the growing number of consumers using them – ipad sales grew 183% in the quarter to June this year. It doesn’t take too great a leap in imagination to see that this consumer trend could follow suit in the b2b arena. The portability of the tablet combined with it’s intuitive and more practical usability than mobiles, added to the ability to go online, either via wifi or 3G, makes it the most convenient way for non-desk based users to reference and potentially order products whilst out of the office.
