# Mobile Commerce in Australia 2026: How Shoppers Buy on Phones

URL: https://ecomchannels.com/insights/mobile-commerce-australia-2026/
Category: E-commerce trends
Updated: 2026-10-30

> Smartphones are now Australians' preferred device for online shopping, and almost half of online payments go through apps. What mobile-first selling needs.

Mobile is now the default way many Australians shop online. In PayPal's 2026 eCommerce Index, 44% of Australians said they prefer a smartphone for online shopping, and 24% said they shop online only on mobile, up from 7% a year earlier. The Reserve Bank found that payments made through mobile apps rose to almost half of all online payments in 2025. For sellers, product pages, images and checkout now need to be designed for a small screen first.

## How many Australians shop on their phones?

Several independent sources point the same way.

- The [PayPal eCommerce Index 2026](https://www.paypalobjects.com/marketing/web24/au/PayPal_2026_eCommerce_Index_Infographic.pdf), based on a survey of 1,012 consumers in October and November 2025, found 44% prefer smartphones for online shopping and 24% shop exclusively on mobile.
- Landmark Global's [2025 Australia factsheet](https://landmarkglobal.com/uploads/Factsheet_2025_Australia_EN_v03.pdf) reports that in 2024 smartphones overtook computers as the preferred online shopping device for the first time, chosen by 47% of shoppers.
- The Reserve Bank's [2025 Consumer Payments Survey](https://www.rba.gov.au/publications/bulletin/2026/may/pdf/consumer-payment-behaviour-in-australia.pdf) found payments made through mobile apps rose to almost half of all online payments. It also found 43% of consumers used a phone or other mobile device to make a contactless payment during the survey week, up from 35% in 2022.

Desktop has not disappeared. Older shoppers in particular still research and buy on computers. But the share of shoppers who never use a computer to buy is growing quickly, and they are the shoppers a desktop-first site serves worst.

## Apps and marketplaces shape mobile habits

Much mobile shopping happens inside apps rather than on mobile websites. The [Australia Post eCommerce Report 2026](https://auspost.com.au/content/dam/auspost_corp/media/documents/ecommerce-reports/annual-ecommerce-reports/ecommerce-report-2026.pdf) found 69% of shoppers buy through marketplace apps, close to the 78% who buy on retailer websites. Discovery is also mobile: 60% of shoppers use social media to find products, and one in two have bought something after seeing it on social media. Among Gen Z, 69% use social media for product discovery.

This affects what you sell and where. A marketplace app such as Amazon, eBay or TikTok Shop sets the standard for page speed, image layout and one-tap checkout. Shoppers compare your store to that experience. On a marketplace, your listing has to work in a narrow column where the title is truncated and the first image does most of the selling.

## Where mobile sales are lost

Mobile shoppers have less patience for friction, and the evidence shows checkout is still where most of it sits.

- In Baymard Institute's [2025 checkout benchmark](https://baymard.com/research-articles/current-state-of-checkout-ux), 63% of mobile sites had "mediocre" or worse checkout usability, and only 2% rated "good".
- Australia Post's 2026 report cites Shopify research finding 52% of Australians abandoned a cart because checkout was too long or complicated, rising to 67% among higher spenders.
- PayPal's 2026 index found 72% of Australians have abandoned an online purchase. The leading reasons were a promo code or gift card that didn't work (40%), security concerns (38%), being made to create an account (35%) and their preferred payment method not being available (31%).

Each of these problems is worse on a phone, where typing is slow and the screen is small.

## What a mobile-first product page looks like

Getting mobile right is mostly about stripping things back:

1. **Lead with the image.** On a phone the main image fills most of the first screen. It has to show the product clearly at thumbnail size, and the rest of the set should answer the obvious questions: scale, detail, in use.
2. **Put the key facts in the first few words.** Mobile search results and marketplace apps cut titles short, so put brand, product type and the most important attribute first.
3. **Make delivery clear before checkout.** Australia Post found 70% of shoppers are less likely to complete a purchase when delivery information at checkout is poor. Show delivery cost and timing on the product page.
4. **Offer wallets and guest checkout.** Remove mandatory account creation and offer accelerated payment options at the start of checkout.
5. **Keep pages fast.** A fast storefront matters more on mobile networks than on office broadband.

## Post-purchase is mobile too

Tracking has moved to phones as well. Australia Post reports 8.7 million unique AusPost app users in 2025, up 21%, and says customers who use the app are up to four times less likely to raise delivery-related cases during peak. Getting tracking numbers onto marketplaces and into confirmation emails quickly lets customers check their own orders and reduces "where is my order" contacts. We cover the wider set of shopper demands in [what Australian online shoppers expect in 2026](https://ecomchannels.com/insights/australian-online-shopper-expectations-2026/).

## Key figures

- **44% of Australians prefer a smartphone** for online shopping; **24% shop exclusively on mobile**, up from 7% ([PayPal eCommerce Index, 2026](https://www.paypalobjects.com/marketing/web24/au/PayPal_2026_eCommerce_Index_Infographic.pdf)).
- Payments through mobile apps rose to **almost half of all online payments** in 2025 ([RBA, 2026](https://www.rba.gov.au/publications/bulletin/2026/may/pdf/consumer-payment-behaviour-in-australia.pdf)).
- **69% of shoppers buy on marketplace apps** ([Australia Post, 2026](https://auspost.com.au/content/dam/auspost_corp/media/documents/ecommerce-reports/annual-ecommerce-reports/ecommerce-report-2026.pdf)).
- **63% of mobile sites** have mediocre or worse checkout usability ([Baymard Institute, 2025](https://baymard.com/research-articles/current-state-of-checkout-ux)).
- **72% of Australians** have abandoned an online purchase ([PayPal eCommerce Index, 2026](https://www.paypalobjects.com/marketing/web24/au/PayPal_2026_eCommerce_Index_Infographic.pdf)).

## How eComChannels helps

eComChannels helps you meet mobile shoppers on your own site and in marketplace apps, without rebuilding content for every screen and channel.

- [Branded storefronts](https://ecomchannels.com/products/storefronts/) are built to be fast and SEO/GEO-ready and connect directly to your order management, so stock and delivery information shown to mobile shoppers is current.
- [AI graphics](https://ecomchannels.com/products/ai-graphics/) produces image sets that follow each marketplace's image rules, so the first image reads clearly in a small app tile. You approve a set once and publish it to every channel.
- [AI listing optimisation](https://ecomchannels.com/products/ai-listing-optimisation/) drafts titles and attributes that put the important words first, following each marketplace's rules, from one master product record. People review and approve the drafts before they go live.

[Book a demo or start a 30-day free trial](https://ecomchannels.com/book-a-demo/) to review your mobile listings and storefront with us.

## FAQ

### What percentage of online shopping in Australia happens on mobile?

There is no single official figure. PayPal's 2026 survey found 44% of Australians prefer smartphones for online shopping and 24% shop only on mobile. The RBA found mobile app payments made up almost half of online payments in 2025.

### Is desktop still important for Australian e-commerce?

Yes, especially for older shoppers and for considered purchases where people compare products in detail. Most shoppers use more than one device, so pages should work on both. Design for mobile first, then check desktop.

### What is the quickest mobile conversion fix?

Start with checkout. Remove forced account creation, add digital wallets, and show delivery cost and timing before the final step. These address the most common abandonment reasons in the PayPal and Baymard research.

## Sources
- eCommerce Index 2026 (infographic), PayPal Australia (2026): https://www.paypalobjects.com/marketing/web24/au/PayPal_2026_eCommerce_Index_Infographic.pdf
- Consumer Payment Behaviour in Australia (RBA Bulletin), Reserve Bank of Australia (2026): https://www.rba.gov.au/publications/bulletin/2026/may/pdf/consumer-payment-behaviour-in-australia.pdf
- E-commerce Country Factsheet 2025: Australia, Landmark Global (2025): https://landmarkglobal.com/uploads/Factsheet_2025_Australia_EN_v03.pdf
- Australia Post eCommerce Report 2026, Australia Post (2026): https://auspost.com.au/content/dam/auspost_corp/media/documents/ecommerce-reports/annual-ecommerce-reports/ecommerce-report-2026.pdf
- Checkout UX 2025: 10 Pitfalls and Best Practices, Baymard Institute (2025): https://baymard.com/research-articles/current-state-of-checkout-ux