Some people in the e-commerce industry have expressed the opinion that shoppers will be less likely to buy expensive products on mobile than they are online. Screen size and security are usually given as reasons.

However – in what is definitely good news for the mobile commerce industry – recent data from Dell shows that consumers are actually spending more over mobile than internet.

Having launched their Android app this summer and iPhone app in the autumn, Dell has found that the average value of purchases through mobile devices is 25% higher than that of online shoppers.

“Our No. 1 seller on mobile is the Inspiron 15R laptop; it also is our best seller online. The laptop ranges in price from $550 to $800. The average order value and the types of products being purchased tell me that people really are, as we expected from our research, comfortable making big-ticket purchases through their smartphones” said Brandon McGee, director, global mobile, at Dell.

Dell, who have been very active in mobile commerce for a while has seen very positive results from the addition of the apps.

“We’ve been really pleased,” added Mr McGee “From a download and revenue perspective, the Android app is performing extremely well and reaching its goals. The iPhone app is performing twice as well as Android.”

Dell also offered a few tips to make a successful mobile commerce site:

• Security. Make sure the customer can see that it is secure, for example lock icons appear on checkout buttons. “We prominently display and promote that throughout the app. This is a secure channel and it gives them that peace of mind making purchases on smartphones.”
• User Interface: Very clean, very simple, very easy to use
• Content: including all the product information and technical specifications found on the desktop site, as well as customer reviews.
• Tools: To aid customers in the sometimes complex process of buying a computer, Dell built the Compare feature which enables a shopper to pick up to three Dell products to conduct side-by-side comparisons of features and functions. The Shop Assist tool is for customers unsure of exactly what they’re looking for.
• Marketing: Dell promotes its mobile commerce site and apps via Facebook, Twitter and blogs, in e-mail marketing, and on the Dell online site.

For more about Dell’s mobile commerce activity, read this article in Internet Retailer.