Mobile Traffic To Retail Sites To Hit 15% During Holiday ’11

More evidence of the growing importance of mobile comes this time from IBM, which predicts that “an unprecedented 15 percent of people in the U.S. logging onto a retailer’s Web site are expected to do so through a mobile device.” This is based on data analyzed by IBM and collected from the 500 leading US retailers.

Last month, according to “Big Blue,” 11 percent of people visited a retail website on a mobile device. In particular the iPad will play a significant role in “mobile” purchase behavior. IBM said that “shoppers using an iPad will lead to more retail purchases more often per visit than other mobile devices.” IBM added that iPad conversion rates were 6.8 percent in the iPad vs. 3.6 percent for mobile devices overall.

Other recently holiday related mobile predictions and estimates include:

• Google saying that “44 percent of total searches for last minute gifts and store locator terms will be from mobile devices.”
• Performics said that “Google search clicks from mobile devices are now 14.2 percent of all search clicks” and expects paid clicks coming from mobile to grow to 17.3 percent this December

Separately today comScore released its latest US smartphone share data:

Smartphones represent 37 percent of all US mobile handsets according to comScore. However Nielsen says they’ve now reached 43 percent (and more than 50 percent for those under age 45). The Pew Internet Project says 42 percent of mobile subscribers have smartphones.

According to a recent study from Acquity Group, 37 percent of the “Internet Retailer Top 500″ companies now have a mobile site. Those that don’t will find they’ve missed an opportunity this holiday shopping season. Earlier this year Google said that 79 percent of its top advertisers didn’t have a mobile-optimized site.