Some 90% of mobile shopping is being done on the iPad

Study shows that iPad users buying more expensive items, dominating sales

It is common knowledge that, among tablets, the iPad stands head and shoulders above all competitors. Now, that dominance is beginning to translate into big online sales.

Not only does the iPad dominate mobile online shopping but its users spend more than other tablet users, according to a report released by RichRelevance on Thursday.

The report, entitled The 2012 Q1 Shopping Insights Mobile Study, shows that mobile devices still only account for a mere 9% of online shopping, but that number is more than double what it was last year.

Of all the shopping done on mobile devices, nearly 65% of it was done on an iPad.

And the iPad accounted for nearly 90% of the revenue made for shopping done on mobile devices.

(Image source: RichRelevance.com)

iPad spending habits

Perhaps even more importantly than how many people are using the iPad is how much those people are spending.

iPad users, on average, spend more than the owner of any other device, including those buying on their desktops.

iPad average order value (AOV) was $158, significantly beating out the iPhone, which had an AOV of $104, and other mobile devices with an AOV of $105. The iPad even topped desktop users, whose AOV was $153.

On top of that, the iPad had lower unit sales per order, and higher price per item than any other mobile device. Translation: iPad users buy less merchandise, but those goods are more expensive, averaging $52.66 per item purchased. For other mobile devices that number was $23.80, and only $21.86 for people who shopped using their desktop.

Interestingly, the most popular item bought on the iPad: large-screen TV’s, with an average price of $310.

Apple dominance

Tablet sales are expected to rise by 98% this year, with the iPad accounting for over 60% of total tablet sales, market research firm Gartner reported on Tuesday.

Gartner is projecting that more than 70 million iPads will be sold this year. That is up from under 40 million sold last year. And next year that number is expected to hit nearly 100 million units. 

Those numbers should not come as much of a surprise. The recently-released iPad sold three million units in its first three days.

Apple’s closest competition is expected to be the Android, with less than 38 thousand sold this year, or around 32% of the total market. That is not an insignificant number, but they are far behind the numbers Apple is putting up so far.

Last month, former Microsoft executive Ray Ozzie declared it a “post PC world.” That statement is looking more and more true every day.

(Image source: aaramshoppro.com)