Trends on Tuesday: 4th Qtr Online Mobile Traffic Up 40% Over Last Year

According to the IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark report, overall 4th quarter online sales were up 10.3% year over year. Here were some of the key drivers:

• Mobile Traffic and Sales: Mobile traffic soared, accounting for nearly 35 percent of all online traffic, up 40 percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2012.

• Smartphones Browse, Tablets Buy: Smartphones drove 21.3 percent of all online traffic, making it the browsing device of choice. When it comes to making the sale, tablets drove 11.5 percent of all online sales, more than twice that of smartphones, which accounted for 5 percent.

• iOS vs. Android: As a percentage of total online sales, iOS was almost five times higher than Android, driving 12.7 percent vs. 2.6 percent for Android.

• The Social Influence – Facebook vs. Pinterest: Shoppers referred from Facebook averaged $60.48 per order, versus Pinterest referrals, which drove $109.93 per order.

Government agencies must become more acutely aware of their audience and their internet browsing habits, as well as their expected user experience on agency websites. Many agencies have dove right in, providing a wide variety of mobile-optimized websites and apps to support citizens accessing government information and services.