iOS Dominates Mobile Shopping in December

Evidently, iOS is the platform of choice for mobile shopping. At least that’s the gist of a new study by retail analysis firm RichRelevance.

Between April and December 2011, RichRelevance analyzed 3.4 billion shopping sessions and found that consumers making purchases from their mobile devices accounted for about 3 percent of total sales. In April, 88 percent of those purchases were made via iOS devices, mostly the iPhone and iPad. By December, that percentage had risen to 92 percent.

So, really, the rise in mobile shopping is being driven by iOS. Which is good news for Apple, and for retailers, as well. According to RichRelevance, the average order value (AOV) of purchases made via iOS devices is greater than those of other platforms. IOS’s AOV was $123 in December; Android’s, meanwhile, was $101.

Said RichRelevance CEO David Selinger: “The numbers across our retailing partners sites demonstrate just how powerful the iOS platform is enabling mobile web shopping and, while still below 5 percent in total conversion, mobile traffic’s doubling in eight months is a trend we only see accelerating.”

As a mobile OS, Apple’s iOS may not be quite as ubiquitous as Google’s Android, but as a shopping platform, its dominance appears uncontested.