An important initial distinction is the difference between handheld mobile devices andtablets.

Although tablets are included within mobile statistics, they are broken down separately within the

data that we record through the network. It is important to separate them in terms of traffic, sales

and conversion rates.

Tablets are more akin to laptops, rather than being a handheld device that is taken everywhere. 80%

of tablet owners have said they mostly use the device at home. True mobile devices can be easily

transported around and is typically kept on you wherever you go.

The iPad currently has a 97% share of the tablet market.

Additionally, mobile optimised sites are not necessarily needed for tablets – as long as the standard

e-commerce site translates well on the devices. Optimised m-commerce sites can however provide a

more intuitive user experience suited to tablet devices. Advertisers are able to determine whether

their default site for visitors through tablet devices is a dedicated m-commerce site or the traditional

e-commerce site.

Additionally sites can be developed especially for tablet devices. Not all m-commerce sites that are

developed for handheld devices translate properly onto tablets. Advertisers may wish to use their

standard e-commerce site for tablets rather than their m-commerce site.

Mobile devices on the other hand benefit significantly from having a fully optimised mobile site. It

makes the site more user friendly on the smaller screen. A standard e-commerce site can be fiddly to

navigate on a mobile device making it difficult to transact – a fully optimised mobile site can help

advertisers get around the obstacles associated with transacting through a non-mobile site.