Screen Size Seems to Dramatically Affect E-Commerce Behavior

Before the iPad came out, very few shoppers at OneKingsLane came from the iPhone or any mobile device, according to Doug Mack, CEO of OneKingsLane.

After the iPad came out, mobile sales shot up, he says, and now account for more than 20 percent of OneKingsLane's revenue.

The obvious question is "why" shopping volume changed. Some would argue that screen size is the big change, and then there is a follow-on or "halo" effect. The argument is that little e-commerce was mobile originated from mobiles because screens weren't big enough to navigate, and too small to allow the appealing visual presentation that drives interest.

The tablet changes all that. And since the iPad has been the dominant device in the tablet segment, and since it is likely most iPad owners also own iPhones, there likely has been a pull-through from the iPad to the iPhone. A reasonable theory, you might say.