63+ Wowing M-Commerce Statistics for 2024

Whether you're a business owner, marketer, techie, or general consumer, the fact that world commerce is moving to your smartphone can’t be new information in 2022. To give you a clear idea of just how relentless this pace of migration to mobile devices is, we have put together 65 m-commerce statistics that cover a wide range of current trends and future estimates.

Wowing M-Commerce Statistics

• Mobile commerce sales will reach $3.56 trillion by the end of 2021.
• More than 1B mobile phone users use their phones for banking worldwide.
• Mobile accounts for over 67.2% of all e-commerce.
• 67.03% of the global population owns a mobile phone in 2021.
• 79% of smartphone users have made a purchase online using their mobile devices.
• In 2020, US mobile retail revenues were $339.03 billion.
• 72.9% of all e-commerce will be m-commerce by the end of 2021.

Before we continue, let’s get one simple question out of the way: What do you mean by m-commerce? M-commerce or mobile commerce is the buying and selling of goods and services through wireless handheld devices such as smartphones and PDAs.

Also known as next-generation e-commerce, it allows users to access the Internet on the go. While retail is an important part of it, m-commerce encompasses a much wider realm including banking, ticketing and travel, health services, and more.

Alright, let’s jump right in and see how mobile e-commerce has been doing in the last few years, and how we can expect it to develop in the near future.

Impressive M-Commerce Statistics for 2023

To keep you abreast of the latest trends and forecasts on the market, we have decided to present you with the latest m-commerce statistics for 2022. Let’s get started.

1. M-commerce sales are set to reach $3.56 trillion by the end of 2021.

(Source: Statista)

This accounts for an increase of over 22.3% of the total sales reported for 2020 – $2.91 trillion. M-commerce growth statistics show that since 2016, m-commerce has seen an average increase of 33.8% yearly! And there’s no slowing down.

2. The global share of m-commerce in e-commerce has increased to 72.9%.

(Source: Statista)

There has been a massive rise in m-commerce sales in e-commerce from its 2016 market share of 52.4%. M-commerce vs e-commerce statistics shows that this figure now sits at 72.9% – almost 3/4 of all e-commerce sales.

3. European and North American countries are expected to be the major players in the m-commerce market revenue between 2020 and 2024.

(Source: App Inventiv)

By 2024, m-commerce statistics for Europe and North America show that they will bring the most profit for m-commerce. Reports also indicate that Asia-Pacific and Middle East countries will bring more users to the market.

4. The global mobile coupon industry is forecast to grow by 56.5% in 2025.

(Source: Sleek Note)

In 2018, over 25 million Americans used mobile coupons. They are an effective way to push customers to go through with their purchases. According to m-commerce stats, the mobile coupon industry was forecast to grow at a CAGR of 73.14% from 2016 - 2020. This growth rate is a little bit higher when compared to what is expected in the next 5 years.

5. The mobile wallet market is expected to reach $3.5 trillion in 2023.

(Source: Retail Dive)

Mobile wallets offer the advantage of not having to reenter shipping addresses and credit card details every single time. It does this by securely storing these details. Mobile e-commerce stats show that most users claim mobile wallets make the user experience better. The mobile wallet market has experienced tremendous growth ever since. To think that it was worth only $1.65 trillion back in 2013.

6. There currently are over 5.2 billion mobile phone users in the world.

(Source: Data Reportal)

At the end of 2019, it was about 5.07 billion. People can’t seem to get enough of their mobile phones. According to reports, the average American spends about 5.4 hours on their mobile phones daily.

7. The mobile share of total online traffic is continually on the rise.

(Source: Merchant Savvy)

Over the years, the online share of traffic continues to drift away from desktop. As of January 2020, mobile accounts for 52% of online traffic, with desktop making up for 45.3%. Back in February 2019, they both accounted for about 48% each. The recent change is due to the high level of mobility provided by modern phones. Consumers can shop anywhere in the world as long as they are with their smartphones, and have access to the internet. Moreover, 40% of people search only on their smartphones.

8. 75% of customers carry out purchases on their mobile phones.

(Source: Oberlo)

Customers claim that purchasing via mobile phones saves time. According to m-commerce stats for 2022, mobile shopping is getting more convenient with the increase in mobile payment options. 90% of mobile shoppers, however, still claim that the mobile e-commerce experience could be better.

9. Social media is a force to reckon with in m-commerce.

(Source: App Inventiv)

Social media promotes products for brands, giving them a broad reach to potential customers. M-commerce statistics for 2022 report that 55% of people who shop on their smartphones made a purchase after seeing a product on social media. What’s more, stores with a social media presence have gained 32% more sales than those without. On top of that, 60% of consumers use social media to research new products and services.

10. AR accounts for $120 billion in sales in m-commerce.

(Source: Pixel Union)

Augmented reality (AR) is fast becoming a significant player in m-commerce. Customers love AR and would even want to buy a product if it has the AR experience. M-commerce world statistics for 2021 reveal that the AR industry is forecast to continue to experience massive growth in m-commerce. That comes as no surprise considering there were about 1 billion AR users worldwide in 2021.

Shopping Apps Statistics

The list of shopping apps is exhaustive, with names like Amazon and eBay topping the list. However, which ones do shoppers use most? 

11. In the United States, Amazon is regarded to be the most popular shopping app.

(Source: Statista)

As of Q4 2019, Amazon heads the shopping app category with over 150.6 million mobile users accessing its app. This is a whopping 80.64% of the total mobile users! Walmart comes second with a monthly audience of 86.05 million users - 46.1% of mobile users. eBay is reported to claim 33.28% of mobile users. Shopping apps statistics show that Amazon has a greater revenue than its competitors with the total number of its users exceeding that of Walmart and eBay combined.

12. 67% of customers window-shop online just for fun.

(Source: Pixel Union)

According to shopping app statistics, 77% of online window shoppers who do so for fun end up making impulse purchases. A retail store with effective SEO can capitalize on these impromptu purchasers.

13. iOS brings more shopping conversion than Android.

(Source: App Inventiv)

Global m-commerce statistics for 2021 show that 49% of customers globally shop with smartphones. However, following further research, it was discovered that iOS brings more shopping conversion than Android with values of 2.11% and 1.81% respectively.

General M-Commerce Stats

We all have a small computer in our pockets. It's also the most powerful wallet on the planet. Here's why.

14. 67.1% of the world population owns a mobile phone in 2021.

(Source: Data Reportal)

The 5.27 unique mobile phone users account for 67.1% of the global population. The number is currently growing at around 1.9% every year!

15. Almost 50% of the world’s population owns a smartphone.

(Source: Bank My Cell)

In 2021, there are 3.80 smartphone users in the world. This number translates to 48.33% of the global population. The growth is enormous, considering that in 2016, only 33.58% owned a smartphone.

16. Global mobile data traffic is projected to grow by 700% from 2016 to 2021.

(Source: MarketingLand)

This increase is from a substantial base to begin with. According to Cisco’s Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast, this striking growth will be spread uniformly across the world. As expected, a little over half of this will be driven by video content, but much of it will be driven by rise in shopping on mobile devices also.

17. What percentage of e-commerce is mobile? In terms of number of transactions, over 40%.

(Source: Google)

The widespread use of mobile devices is not limited to essential functions, of course. With feature-rich mobile devices available at affordable prices and users’ increasing comfort in spending online, online transactions on mobile are becoming increasingly common. Consumers are spending more on the go instead of waiting to reach their computers to make a purchase.

18. 79% of smartphone users have made a purchase online using their mobile device in the last 6 months.

(Source: OuterBox)

That’s close to a billion people worldwide! People are putting their move to smarter phones to good use in terms of m-commerce. Nearly 4 out of 5 smartphone users have made at least one purchase in the last 6 months. This includes users who are experiencing mobile transactions for the first time and joining the large cohort that’s already converted over.

19. By 2021, 53.9% of all US retail e-commerce is expected to be generated via m-commerce.

(Source: Statista)

In 2017, this share was just 34.5%, reflecting the tremendous growth in m-commerce. This mobile commerce sales forecast is based on the trends being seen in the improvement in connectivity, device features, website responsiveness, and people’s comfort with shopping online.

20. Worldwide, the share of m-commerce in all e-commerce is expected to rise to 72.9% by 2021.

(Source: Statista)

Interestingly, the m-commerce revolution is even more prominent in emerging markets, driving its global share to 72.9% of all e-commerce by 2021. This is a massive rise from 58.9% in just 2017. While China is responsible, by far, for this growth, figures from India and other developing economies are not worth scoffing at, either.

21. Global m-commerce was expected to rake in $2.3T.

(Source: Statista)

What does this translate to in absolute value? Total mobile e-commerce sales are expected to reach $3.56 trillion by 2021—a more than 250% jump from $0.97 trillion in 2016. Notably, this figure excludes online sales of travel and event tickets.

22. Global m-commerce is growing at 29% compared to the e-commerce growth rate of 22%.

(Source: Statista)

The above growth figures tell a clear story when it comes to m-commerce vs e-commerce growth. M-commerce is growing at a notably higher pace than commerce conducted through other types of devices.

23. US mobile retail revenues were expected to amount to $339.03B in 2020.

(Source: Statista)

Mobile retail revenues in the US kept pace with global growth and were expected to grow by 63.4% in just two years between 2018 and 2020.

24. Online shopping on mobile increased from 8% to 15%, while on desktop dropped from 78% to 63%.

(Source: Invesp)

To put m-commerce statistics 2022 in perspective, there’s value in taking a look at some older ones. Over the 2016-2017 period, the share of shopping on smartphones in the overall online shopping numbers in the U.S. almost doubled from 8% to 15%. The share of shopping on tablets also doubled from 5% to 10%. This increase came at the expense of the share of desktop shopping, which saw a decrease from 78% of the overall to 63%.

25. Categories with the highest mobile share of purchases are also the ones with the most rapid e-commerce growth.

(Source: Comscore)

Mobile purchases tend to be higher for relatively cheap and low-consideration products such as video games, movies, and digital content, and lower for more expensive categories such as computer hardware.

An interesting feature of mobile vs. desktop usage stats is that mobile may be enabling the purchase of products that were previously less likely to be purchased online altogether, noting that eliminating the friction of buying on mobile (smaller screens, privacy concerns, etc.) is critical for retailers.

26. In 2020, Apple Pay has over 383 million users worldwide.

(Source: Statista)

In 2020 alone, Apple Pay gained over 65 million new users. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many things changed, and Apple Pay made it easy to use your phone for contactless payments.

M-Commerce Payments Statistics

Smartphones give users the power to choose between many applications and payment methods.

27. The number of proximity mobile payment transaction users surpassed 1B in 2020.

(Source: Statista)

Using smartphones to make payments, which is a segment related to m-commerce, is also on the rise. In 2017, the number of mobile proximity payment users stood at 721.2 million worldwide. Popular application areas are paying for transport and transit, as well as retail goods and services.

28. The US’s proximity mobile payment transaction value is expected to be over $200B in 2023.

(Source: Statista)

While China remains the leader in proximity mobile payment, accounting for 60% of the worldwide user base, m-commerce statistics show that the rest of the world is catching up fast. As of 2015, about 12.5% of smartphone users in the US were already using proximity mobile payment solutions when the total transaction value was a mere $9.8 billion.

29. The global mobile payments market is projected to reach $4,574B by 2023 with a compound annual growth rate of 33%.

(Source: Allied Market Research)

The mobile-payments market was valued at $601 billion in 2016. This 33.63% CAGR is largely driven by the Asia Pacific region. If seen sector-wise, the mobile payment market for hospitality & transportation applications is expected to witness the highest growth rate during the forecast period.

30. The global mobile wallet market size is expected to reach $3142.2B by 2022.

(Source: Zion Market Research)

Adding digital wallets to your e-commerce store can help you capture the mobile shopper at checkout by offering an easy, secure way to pay in a single click. For example, allowing mobile shoppers to pay with PayPal leverages a trusted brand name, while eliminating the need for shoppers to enter credit card details and shipping addresses on a tiny screen.

Stats on Different Types of M-Commerce

M-commerce isn't only about buying stuff with your phone. It's an enormous industry and the numbers prove it.

31. There are more than 1 billion mobile coupon users globally.

(Source: Invesp)

There were 560 million mobile coupon users globally in 2014. This number has doubled since. The percentage of companies using mobile coupons for marketing is also increasing steadily.

32. More than 1B mobile phone users have made use of their phones for banking worldwide.

(Source: Statista)

Mobile phone statistics show that the highest penetration of m-banking is in the developed markets. In the US, the number was expected to reach 111 million by 2016. Almost 70% of millennials in the US were using mobile banking in 2018.

33. Roughly 1.2B people worldwide have access to a bank account compared to 5B unique mobile phone subscribers.

(Source: Inc)

The fact that there are more than 4 times as many people with mobile phone subscriptions than there are with access to a bank account with payment capabilities makes it clear why mobile payments are the future of commerce. No wonder, then, that any financial institution looking to increase its user base is aggressively going mobile.

34. PayPal’s annual mobile payment volume is increasing at 46% year-on-year.

(Source: Statista)

The impressive payment volume growth rate for PayPal, the world’s most popular online payment system (not counting China), is a good indicator of mobile e-commerce growth. In the most recently reported year, the payment provider's mobile payment volume amounted to $227 billion, up from $155 billion in the preceding fiscal period.

35. Only 21% of US travelers book their trips from their phones.

(Source: Condor Ferries)

While m-commerce is growing rapidly, most US travelers still prefer to use their desktops when booking holidays. Experts think this could be because many travel websites lack essential booking elements on mobile. It’s much easier to compare prices on your desktop, for example.

36. 90% of travel brands say having a mobile strategy is critical to the future success of their organization.

(Source: HubSpot)

According to this 2017 global study of m-commerce trends in the travel industry, 84% of travel brands also intended to increase their investment in mobile and 60% were looking to enhance or replace their app from 2018 onward. As travelers get more comfortable with searching and paying for travel through their smartphones, companies in the sector have realized that they can ignore mobile customers only at their peril.

37. The global mobile health market will grow at a CAGR of 35.65% between 2020 and 2026.

(Source: Market Data Forecast)

The global digital health market is forecast to be worth 156.82 by 2026. With solutions like medical billing software and other mobile tools, it’s easier than ever for users to use their phones to save time and money.

Mobile Shopping Statistics

Which regions have the highest density of mobile shoppers? Let's find out.

38. At 46%, global mobile shopping penetration is the highest in the Asia Pacific region.

(Source: Statista)

The combined play of improving economics and infrastructure for mobile shopping and lack of development in alternative modes is driving mobile shopping penetration in the Asia Pacific region. For many global players like Amazon and Walmart, the greatest opportunity comes from these markets.

39. Retail m-commerce sales in India reached nearly $38B in 2020.

(Source: Statista)

Retail m-commerce sales grew to $37.96 billion in 2020, up from $30.2B in 2019, nearly 50% of total retail e-commerce sales of $79.41 billion. Stats on m-commerce in India point to a value of about $23.6 billion in 2018. While all this might seem measly compared to the $1.5 trillion Chinese smartphone users spent in 2019, the India figure would mark a more than 6X jump from 2015.

40. APAC countries, especially India and China, also show the highest consumer confidence in mobile payment adoption at 24%.

(Source: Statista)

In this slightly old country-wise study of consumer confidence in mobile payment adoption, while 17% of worldwide shoppers are shown strongly disagreeing with using their mobile phones as the main tool for purchasing, 24% of shoppers in India and China strongly agree in response to the same query.

41. 51% of mobile shoppers in the US make their purchases via apps.

(Source: Statista)

Apps score marginally higher than mobile websites in the shopping department. However, trends on app commerce show their share compared to mobile websites will grow, given the more streamlined experience and personalization they offer shoppers.

42. Shopping is the fastest-growing mobile app category with 54% year-on-year growth.

(Source: Statista)

In terms of app categories shopping continues to see more growth, compared to others like entertainment, news, and finance. The 54% increase in user sessions is in comparison to the average growth of 6% and negative growth for some other popular categories like gaming and lifestyle.

43. With a reach of 80.64, Amazon was the most popular shopping app in the US in mid-2019.

(Source: Statista)

In the US, Amazon has a far greater reach than its competitors. In fact, Amazon sees as many shoppers as Walmart and eBay combined. Global figures might be skewed because of players like Alibaba and Tencent, which rule the roost in China.

44. 76% of consumers shop on mobile devices because it saves time.

(Source: Dynamic Yield)

What are the advantages of m-commerce for consumers? For a vast majority of shoppers, the primary reason for shopping on mobile devices is that it allows them to do it on the go, saving them time compared to desktop or laptop shopping. It is important, then, for online business owners to design the shopping experience such that it actually saves time for their customers.

45. 70% of mobile searches lead to action within an hour.

(Source: Forbes)

Mobile shoppers reward a brisk shopping experience with quick decision-making. In comparison, it takes the same share of desktop users a full month to reach a buying decision. The bottom line is - if you impress your online store visitors, you can expect to be profitable.

46. Smartphones had a conversion rate of 1.86% globally in Q3 2020.

(Source: Smart Insights)

For various reasons, however, mobile commerce statistics in 2021 show that smartphones’ conversion rates are significantly lower than tablets, laptops, and desktops. Only 1.86% of smartphone visits get converted into purchases globally! When looking at the same statistics for the US, the number is even lower (1.68%).

47. Mobile shopping carts have an abandonment rate of 85.65%.

(Source: Barilliance)

This is in comparison to the average abandonment rate of 80.74% for tablets and about 73% for desktops. M-commerce statistics show that online stores are often not optimized for mobile, with issues like slow load times being very common. To top this off, many stores force customers to zoom in and out to navigate a page. Other, smaller inconveniences also do their part to drive cart abandonment on desktop, such as mandatory registrations and long checkout processes. These are even more significant in the case of mobile e-commerce.

48. The average value of global smartphone shopping orders is $79.33.

(Source: Statista)

Smartphones also lose out in terms of average order values. Traditional devices have an average shopping order of $179.88, more than twice that of smartphones. As per mobile website stats, this results in smartphones accounting for only about 42% of e-retail revenues, despite getting 62% of retail website visits.

49. Only 12% of consumers find shopping on the mobile web convenient.

(Source: Dynamic Yield)

On the other hand, smartphone shopping scores really low on convenience. The issues shoppers face include sites not designed with phone screens in mind, pop-ups and other intrusive ads, lack of adequate information, etc.

50. When people have a negative brand experience on mobile, they are over 60% less likely to purchase from that brand in the future than if they have a positive experience.

(Source: Google, LinkedIn)

Mobile users statistics show that shoppers on smartphones tend to be more finicky than other digital shoppers. As an online business owner, you generally get one shot to impress your visitor. If you succeed, you not only improve conversion from that particular user, but also get positive recommendations. On the other hand, a bad experience can result in almost 50% of users never returning to your store.

51. The probability of bounce increases by 32% if mobile page load time goes from 1 s to 3 s.

(Source: Google)

Slow loading of web pages is one of the biggest concerns of online shoppers considering that they are shopping on their phones primarily to save time. According to Google, a delay in load time of a mere 2 seconds can result in an increase of 32% in the bounce rate. These rates increase exponentially as the lag time grows.

52. 42% of shoppers have security concerns about shopping via smartphone.

(Source: Dynamic Yield)

Among the many reasons that make shoppers wary of spending money through their smartphones, mobile e-commerce stats show that one of the biggest is the issue of security. Having trusted badges like PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, and Google can help nullify some of these concerns.

53. 73% of shoppers use multiple channels to shop.

(Source: Harvard Business Review)

Interestingly, most online shoppers do not restrict their shopping to one type of device. To be truly successful in e-commerce, business owners need to provide a robust experience across channels, including in-store shopping.

54. Mobile drives or influences an average of over 40% of revenue in leading B2B organizations.

(Source: Google)

If the trend towards mobile transactions is encouraging for general consumers, it is even more eye-catching in the case of B2B commerce. According to smartphone statistics from a joint report by Google and the Boston Consulting Group, mobile already has a direct or indirect influence on more than 40% of revenues, and this share is growing.

55. 70% of B2B search queries came from smartphones in 2020.

(Source: BCG)

One sign of this growing influence is that in 2020, about 70% of search queries in B2B e-commerce originated on smartphones, up from about 50% in late 2017.

56. 90% of dating and social merchants support mobile commerce as a sales channel.

(Source: Statista)

The adoption of m-commerce is not uniform across all sectors. Globally, m-commerce trends show that only half of the professional services industry has adopted this channel. This indicates a marked difference in preference and room for growth in certain segments.

57. Close to 80% of mobile search traffic gets routed through Google.

(Source: Net Market Share)

Baidu’s share is a little over 16%, with Yahoo and Bing scoring 0.94% and 0.81%, respectively. If you ignore the Chinese market, Google’s share goes up to the high 90s. So, ranking high on Google is still the best way to get new leads for your online store.

58. Mobile advertising is expected to represent 72% of all U.S. digital ad spending in 2019.

(Source: eMarketer)

What is mobile commerce without mobile advertising? In keeping with the growing importance of mobile commerce, advertising on mobile devices is witnessing phenomenal growth. It accounted for just 24.7% of total digital ad spending and a measly 6.3% of total media ad spending in 2013. Its share of total media ad spending will be 28.6% in 2019.

59. 40% of shoppers say they will buy a product if they get to experience it through augmented reality before they buy it.

(Source: Digital Marketing Institute)

61% of users prefer brands that make use of AR over those that don’t. 71% of shoppers feel greater loyalty towards apps that offer AR as well. The increasing use of AR was among the most prominent features of m-commerce statistics in 2019. Other key trends include single-click payments, increased use of automation tools, greater personalization, and growing investment in beacons to monitor and understand consumer behavior.

60. Virtual reality/augmented reality markets will reach $571.42 billion by 2025. 

(Source: Allied Market Research)

The market was worth $11.35 billion in 2017 and hasn’t stopped growing. And there aren’t any signs of it slowing down. With a CAGR of 63.3% from 2018 to 2025, the market will be worth over $570 billion by 2025.

61. 61% of mobile consumers are more likely to buy from mobile sites that customize information to location and preferences.

(Source: Google)

Online business owners have tons of tools at their disposal to offer a more personalized experience to their shoppers through mobile sites and apps. And your customers are aware of this. Offering local information or recommending additional products based on purchase history are some ways to make shoppers feel special.

62. Organizations are experiencing as high as 3x ROI for personalization efforts.

(Source: Adobe)

Personalization is not just a feel-good factor. M-commerce statistics prove that such efforts have objective, measurable benefits and can earn you as much as three times what you invest in setting up your mobile marketing systems.

63. 69% of mobile shoppers want easy answers to their questions.

(Source: Google)

Another key metric where online business owners can beat the competition (or lose out miserably) is whether the shopper gets clear and actionable information on their site or app. One of the top ways to take advantage of this is to ensure your products’ descriptions clearly explain the problem your products solve.

64. There are almost eight million retailers in the world.

(Source: Etail Insights)

An etailer is an online B2C business. They sell purely online. And seeing the increase in m-commerce revenues in recent years, it’s probably a good idea! In the US alone, there are 2.1 million etailers, but globally, there are 7.9 million.