With a growth of 63% compared to 2015, Italians' spending on mobile commerce reached 3.3 billion euros at the end of 2016 (latest available survey from the Mobile B2C Strategy Observatory of the Polytechnic University of Milan), tripling in two years its value. Today it accounts for as much as 17% of the overall turnover of e-commerce in the Bel Paese, and in some companies the percentage even rises to 50%.
In terms of the products marketed, a fundamental role is played by both the sites with business models in which the moment of purchase counts (for example "flash sales" sites) and the initiatives (primarily in marketplaces) that have invested to offer a simple and effective customer experience, optimized for the mobile channel.
In terms of services, the purchase of transport tickets (air and rail) and the booking of accommodation (in hotels and private homes) is predominant. In general, however, Polimi experts point out, users' familiarity with purchasing from smartphones and tablets is growing, with interesting development prospects for all sectors.