iOS dominates mobile shopping with 92% of market

Despite the proliferation of Android devices, users of devices running Apple's iOS dominated mobile online shopping in 2011, spending 19 percent more than those using Google's platform to end the year with a 92 percent share of the market.

A study by retail analysis firm RichRelevance released on Friday notes that iOS devices accounted for the bulk of all online non-desktop sales in 2011, holding just over 92 percent of the market, reports Market Watch.

The recent study analyzed 3.4 billion shopping sessions between April and December 2011, finding that mobile sales from iOS devices grew from 88 percent in April to over 92 percent in December. This provides further evidence that despite holding a fraction of Android's worldwide device market share, Apple's iOS growth continues to lead the market in many ways including online browsing.

“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,” said Rich Relevance CEO David Selinger.

Mobile online spending has been growing steadily over 2011, with sales from mobile devices doubling from 1.87 percent of total retail sales in April to to 3.74 percent in December. Retailer's websites also saw an increase of traffic from smartphones, which grew from under 9 percent to 18 percent.

The average order value (AOV) of purchases originating from iPhones and iPads is also larger when compared to other platforms, with cost of purchase coming in at $123 for December. Android and desktop orders followed with $101 and $87 AOV, respectively.

Online shopping appears to be trending to mobile devices as mobile AOV is at $120 compared to desktop orders, which now stand at $110 as of December. In April, the two modes of online shopping were nearly identical.

Weekends see the most mobile shoppers, with sales jumping 25 percent above weekday traffic. Thanksgiving was the peak shopping day of the year, and saw a 40 percent boost in mobile sales that accounted for 24 percent of all online retail purchases.