What Are the Most Popular Devices for Online Shopping? Smartphones or Laptops?

Most Popular Devices for Online Shopping: Key Insights

• Smartphones Are on Top: Smartphones are most used in global online shopping, with China and India showing the highest rates.

• Laptops Come Second: Laptops show consistent usage rates across all global regions. This reflects their high penetration and instinctive use for online shopping.

• Shopping Devices Vary: There are many ways to buy products online. In addition to smartphones and laptops, there are tablets and desktop PCs, as well as smart TVs, speakers, and streaming devices.

The most popular devices for online shopping vary by market, as well as general consumer preferences and habits.

Each device has its distinct advantages and disadvantages in eCommerce. Sitting on the subway and wanting to kill some time by looking for new clothes to buy? A few taps on your smartphone and you can start browsing. Shopping for a new gaming PC might require more research and a detailed comparison, so your desktop might be the best solution.

Let’s see which devices are most used in different countries.

Smartphones Are Most Popular

Smartphones are most commonly used for online shopping. Here is a country ranking for smartphone usage in eCommerce, according to the 2023 Statista Global Consumer Survey.

1. China

Smartphones are the most popular device for online shopping in China, where 92% of respondents said they use their phones for eCommerce. Given that eCommerce is still growing in China, with many consumers entering the market who do not regularly use laptops or desktop PCs, it is clear why this large market ranks so high. Another factor is the prevalence of social commerce and livestream shopping in the market, which is typically accessed through smartphones.

2. India

In India, 88% of consumers say they shop online with a smartphone. The conditions are similar to China: A large population in a burgeoning eCommerce market, where consumers usually conduct most of their online business via smartphone.

3. Mexico

Mentioned in a dedicated insight on eCommerce in Mexico, the country belongs to the fastest-growing online markets in the world. 80% of respondents in Mexico said they had bought products online using their mobile phone. The pattern of the previous two markets continues: A large population with many consumers just entering the online market, it is more often the case that smartphones are the primary device used to go online.

Ranks 4-7: The U.S. and European Markets

The folllowing rankings include more developed eCommerce markets:

73% of people in the U.S. use their smartphones to shop, compared to 69% in countries like the UK and 64% in Germany, where it is still the most popular shopping device. Shopping with your smartphone benefits from its accessibility, allowing you to browse and buy from anywhere. With features like instant purchases, real-time tracking, and secure payments, it streamlines the shopping experience, making it efficient and accessible on the go.

Other Devices: Laptops, Tablets, Desktop PCs

Beyond smartphones, laptops are consistently the second most used device for online shopping across all countries observed. While India has a high penetration of online shoppers who shop online via laptops (at 50% of respondents), other countries follow not far behind, such as Germany (45%) and the UK with the U.S. (both at 43%). Only China lags a little at 35%. Laptop shopping provides a larger screen experience, allowing for more in-depth product exploration and comparison.

The next most popular devices are tablets and desktop PCs. 29% of respondents in China and the U.S. use tablets for online shopping, while 28% in the UK use tablets for purchases as well. While tablet shopping combines portability with a larger screen than smartphones, tablets are less widely used than other devices because a tablet does not provide a critical addition to the smartphones and laptops that most people who shop online already use.

25% of respondents from Germany use tablets to shop online, while 24% of online shoppers from India also use tablets. Again, we see consistent usage rates across countries, suggesting universal preferences for shopping online with these devices.

India Leads the Trend Towards Hands-Free Shopping Devices

Desktop PCs are most used in Germany with 32% of respondents. This is followed by India with 26% and the USA with 25%. Desktop PC shopping offers an online shopping experience with a large screen and enhanced processing power. It provides more detailed product views, efficient multitasking, and a comfortable environment for extended browsing sessions and therefore is more comfortable for older demographics.

Smart TVs are most widely used in India, where 21% of respondents said they use them for shopping. This is followed by the US at 15%, with lower usage rates in Germany and the UK at 9%, and China in the middle at 11%. Smart TVs are less likely to be used to shop for new clothes, for example, and more likely to be used to buy movies, TV shows and music, and therefore have a relatively low usage rate for online shopping.

More niche products include smart speakers and streaming devices like Amazon's Fire TV stick. Smart speakers and smart devices add a hands-free dimension to online shopping, allowing users to effortlessly browse, select and purchase items using voice commands. As with smart TVs, smart speakers are most popular for online shopping in India, with 18% of respondents using them. 11% of U.S. respondents also use smart speakers for online shopping, while in China, Germany, and the UK, this device is used less, with usage ranging from 6% to 7%.

Most Popular Devices for Online Shopping:
Closing Remarks

The most popular devices for online shopping are smartphones, with extremely high usage in China and India. Other countries such as the U.S., Germany or the U.K. cannot reach such high numbers because the shopping experience in these countries is more distributed across different devices. Also, in China and India, everyday life is focused on paying and shopping with smartphones, which explains its high popularity.

FAQ: Most Popular Devices for Online Shopping

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