9 reasons to adapt online stores to mobile devices | Key4Communications |

We are increasingly using our smartphones and tablets to buy, so retailers need to adapt their online stores to these devices, whether through apps or through responsive designs that can adapt to any screen.

There are a few reasons that point to this trend.

1. In Spain, almost 70% of adults have a smartphone and also a third of internet traffic already takes place in mobile phones and tablets. According to Google, 7 out of 10 smartphone owners use this device every day and 71% never leave home without it. 96% use it at home. 80%, on the go. 71%, while in a store.

2. 25% of internet searches are done through a smartphone. When searching for product information, 24% use the app from the store, according to Pulse Custora.

3. In Spain, 54% of searches made through a smartphone are about products and services, according to Google. 80% of mobile users have at some time searched for information on a product or service.

4. 25% of Spanish consumers have already made a purchase through a smartphone, also according to Google. Besides, 63% of these consumers buy at least once a month from their phones.

5. This Google study explains that two out of three consumers use multiple online devices before making any purchase, and 66% of these online shopping starts in a smartphone. 41% of these searches on mobile phones end with a purchase on a computer, while 31% end with a purchase in a brick-and-mortar store.

6. Indeed, 50% of retailers think that mobile is involved in the buying process more than half the time, according to data from RSR Research.

7. In Spain, purchases through mobile devices now account for around 10% of online commerce and in the UK one in three purchases are done through a mobile devices, with forecasts of growth in 2014, according to a survey by IMRG whereby 11% of the retailers expect this percentage to reaches 50%.

8 For China, this trend is even greater - mobile commerce in 2013 grew 165.4%, and it is expected to grow another 91.1% next year, according to Go Globe. 69% of Chinese consumers have purchased a product via their smartphones (compared to 46% of Americans).

9. And the eternal question for retailers - is it better to use an app or a responsive design for a web store. According to German consultant yStats , each option has its advantages. Consumers think apps are faster to make a purchase, while webs are preferred for convenience.