The launch of Apple’s official payment service in the UK last year has helped the iPhone become one of the most commonly used devices when carrying out transactions, according to a new report from Criteo.

Almost twenty per cent of sales made via safe shopping online are now executed from Apple’s flagship smartphone range, up from just 12 per cent in early 2015. And analysts believe that this growth can in part be contributed to the arrival of Apple Pay, which has encouraged more consumers to shop from their smartphone.

The report found that 48.8 per cent of all e-commerce purchases are made from portable devices of some kind, although the iPhone’s rise to prominence has come at the expense of a fall in iPad usage.

Thirty nine per cent of sales involve consumers making use of more than one device, with mobiles used for research and desktop computers often seen as the ideal end point to complete a purchase via safe shopping online.

Analysts found that fashion retailers tend to be the most attuned to the needs of mobile users, embracing optimised sites and dedicated apps in order to cater to customers who have started to ditch traditional platforms, in favour of a portable alternative.

Apps are still preferred for finalising purchases, accounting for about 65 per cent of the m-commerce market, with the rest of the sales being generated by mobile sites.

Because iPhones can now be used to make online purchases and also to pay for goods in-store using contactless technology, Apple’s grip on the retail market as a whole is becoming firmer. And there are, of course, rival payment platforms from companies including Google, meaning almost any modern smartphone will support this type of activity for those who are interested.