Australian retailers are encouraged to develop mobile-friendly websites in order to take advantage of a forecasted bumper season of online Christmas trade.

Google Australia has released data stating that 40 per cent of shopping searches are now conducted on smartphones or tablets, which represents a 20 per cent year on year increase, as consumers rely more heavily on their smartphones or tablets for product searches, store locations and online purchasing. While consumers are embracing mobile devices for their shopping needs the same doesn’t apply for businesses, with Google estimating that only one third of their larger retailers have a mobile-friendly site, with figures even lower for small to medium business.

"As consumers branch out from smartphones into new types of devices like tablets, the mobile revolution is expanding to multiple screens,"  says Ross McDonald, Google Australia’s Industry Leader for Local & Retail.

"That means the real moral of this year’s Christmas story is that retailers need to mobilise, and fast. It is no longer enough for businesses to get online–they need to be found wherever the web is, on every screen, or risk losing out." With Christmas just around the corner, McDonald says November is an ideal time for small businesses to rethink their online presence, namely their mobile offering and e-commerce trade. “The Christmas shopping season is a marathon that ends in a sprint. People make last-minute decisions, which means we see consumers searching for gifts right up to Christmas Eve,” he says.