A majority of Australian online retailers are now selling via mobile according to new research.

Forrester research revealed new insights into the online industry during the first day of the Online Retailer Conference & E-Commerce Expo.

Forrester said that for the very first time a majority of Australian online retail professionals – 55 per cent – reported they are selling via mobile devices. That’s a significant leap from the 39 per cent reported in 2011 and just 16 per cent in 2010.

Forrester said the trend is being driven by consumer demand with shoppers increasingly expecting to be able to buy goods while on the move.

Steven Noble, senior analyst at Forrester Research, told the conference that retailer interest in mobile has not just grown, it has surged to the top of the investment priority list, overtaking the core eCommerce platform.

Among the Australian online retail professionals already selling via the mobile web, 49 per cent said that mobile sites were a top investment priority for the year ahead. And 54 per cent of multichannel retailers and 29 per cent of pureplays say mobile sites are now a top technology investment priority for the year ahead.

Despite the growth of mobile and apps, Australian online retail professionals are still taking quite a narrow approach to mobile. Noble said most retailers are focused on the purchasing phase and are neglecting the role that mobile commerce could play within the wider customer life cycle, including marketing or customer service.

Just five per cent are currently using mobile channel usage data to better understand their customers.

Noble said Forrester had researched the market for three years in conjunction with the Online Retailer event.

“Previously, we’d found retailers that were struggling to find enough time to address even basic issues like the need for good product photography. This time around we found significant investment programs such as mobile commerce usage and uptake,” he said.

Online Retailer Conference & E-Commerce Expo brings together more than 100 local and international speakers, innovative content, strategic networking opportunities and over 120 top-tier solution providers from July 16 to 19.

Andrew Jones, event manager, said this year’s conference should draw a record attendance.

The Online Retailer Conference & E-Commerce Expo continues tomorrow with speakers including Rob Moss, Global Marketing Director, my-wardrobe.com andSucharita Mulpuru, VP and Principal Analyst, Forrester Research.