Our recent survey of more than 1,000 consumers offered up some compelling evidence of the mobile commerce market as a budding area of opportunity for online merchants.

The new report, “Cross-Channel Commerce: The Consumer View.”, had two major findings related to mobile commerce: 

• 27% of all consumers 18 and older use their mobile devices to browse or research products and services at least four times a year, with that number jumping to 41% for the 18-34 year-old age group;
• When it comes to making purchases, 13% of all consumers 18 and older are doing this on their mobile devices at least four times a year; 23% of the 18-34 age group are doing this at least four times a year and 8% are doing it weekly.

What does this mean for online merchants? We need to keep in mind that this market is evolving so rapidly that these numbers represent merely the early adopters, which is a very promising set but is really just the tip of the iceberg.

We’ve heard from many of our customers, and browser use statistics confirm, that this past holiday season was a strong one for iPhones, iPods and the Smartphone category in general.  Mobile browser access to retail sites really started to take off in December, jumped the week after Christmas, and has continued to climb throughout 2010. Clearly, all those shiny new devices received during the holiday season are getting a workout – and giving retailers an engaging new way to connect with shoppers. 

The skew toward younger consumers using their phones more often to browse or research products strengthens the notion that merchants can build brand recognition among younger shoppers with mobile commerce capabilities and initiatives.

While the percentage of shoppers making purchases on mobile devices is not overwhelming today, retailers should prepare for the day when mobile sales become widespread. In the meantime, think of the mobile channel as a key enabler of commerce, and that its real measure of success is how it helps to drive sales across other channels.