Shoppers are making it clear that when it comes to shopping and buying, larger screens are king.

The latest development that has been becoming increasingly clear when it comes to mobile marketing news is that it is actually tablet commerce that is taking the hearts of shoppers, more than that occurring over smartphones.

Last year saw a doubling of overall mobile sales, bringing them to a striking $60 billion.

A report has just been issued by Javelin Strategy & Research, called “Mobile Payments Market: Tablet Shopping Surges as Mobile Retail Sales Top $60 Billion.” Within it, the trend toward tablet commerce was underscored, as it was evident that consumers appreciate the larger screen device for their shopping experience.

This trend toward tablet commerce shopping could be important insight for retailers.

The report reveals findings through surveys of 3,492 consumers that were conducted in June 2012, as well as the survey of an another 3,285 people last year in July. Yet another 3,509 people were also surveyed in November 2013 in order to generate the data seen in this research.

Executive vice president and research director of mobile at Javelin Research, Mary Monahan, explained that the mobile payments market has been surveyed by her company for about six years now, but that it has only been for the last two years that they have compiled historical trend data. The reason is that the survey in 2012, the questions on the survey were changed, making it so that the results from previous years could not be compared other than to an anecdotal level.

The survey results from 2013 showed a solid distinction in which retailers can find important insight, said Monahan. She pointed out that consumers are choosing tablet commerce to an increasing degree when they are shopping online on mobile devices. She stated that “Tablets played a dominant role in mobile shopping this year, accounting for approximately one-half of all mobile sales.”

Last year, tablets brought in $28.7 billion in mcommerce, which is five times the total of $5.1 billion that had been brought in the year before. Considering the level of penetration that smartphones have when compared to that of their larger screen counterparts, this figure is very interesting and shows that consumers find that tablet commerce offers something above and beyond what their cell phones are providing.

Whole Foods Markets teams with Square to enter into mobile commerce

Whole Foods Markets has partnered with Square in order to be more accommodating of mobile commerce. The grocery retailer has taken note of a rise in the use of mobile devices among its customers and has become well aware of the mobile commerce trend. Consumers throughout the U.S. are beginning to demand new mobile commerce services and Whole Foods Markets has turned to Square in order to accommodate consumer needs. Square is currently considered one of the most successful mobile payments organizations in North America.

Square helps Starbucks find success in the mobile sector

Square has been part of some of the most successful mobile commerce initiatives in the world. Starbucks partnered with Square in order to engage mobile consumers more aggressively. In 2013, it was reported that Starbucks managed to generate more than $1 billion in revenue through mobile payments alone. These payments were handled by Square’s mobile commerce platform. Whole Foods Markets believes that it can find similar success through its own mobile commerce initiatives.

Test phase will determine consumer interest in mobile payments and the viability of expanding mobile commerce services to other stores

Whole Foods Markets will be testing its mobile payments venture in a limited number of stores initially. The pilot testing phase is meant to help the company better understand mobile commerce and help determine whether mobile commerce is something its customers would participate in. Depending on the success of the testing phase, Whole Foods Markets will expand its mobile commerce initiative to more stores throughout the U.S.

Many consumers remain concerned about mobile commerce security

Square has been working to make mobile commerce mainstream for some time. The company’s partnership with Starbucks has effectively solidified mobile commerce with many consumers throughout the U.S., but many people are still somewhat leery of mobile payments. The concern that many people have when it comes to mobile commerce has to do with the security of their financial information. Mobile commerce has become a popular target for malicious groups that seek to exploit a consumer’s financial information through hacking and other such practices.