Dive Brief:

• A benchmark of mobile activity at 26 retailers followed by mobile technology company Branding Brand has found that 50.7% of shopping activity happened on smartphones and tablets, although that translated to only 27.3% of online revenue.

• Similarly, in July, 56% of time spent shopping online was spent on tablets and smartphones, according to research by analytics firm comScore Inc.

• The numbers mean that retailers can expect a dramatic increase in mobile traffic this holiday season, Branding Brand founder-CEO Chris Mason told Internet Retailer.

Dive Insight:

Mobile shopping has been on the rise, but observers are saying that numbers are spiking to unforeseen levels. The omni-channel world that retailers have been preparing for is increasingly a mobile-dominated one. The disconnect between actual revenue and mobile retail activity is likely in part due to the mixed opportunities for actual mobile transactions, including less-than-optimal mobile payment systems on and offline. But shoppers will likely continue to turn to mobile first or even mobile only no matter what, observers say.