Smartphones and tablets are no longer just tools that allow users to stay in touch with contacts or work remotely – they are now being increasingly used for shopping. Whether it's patrons paying with their devices at brick-and-mortar locations or consumers using the gadgets to browse for and purchase items while on the go, it's no longer a secret that mobile is taking the sector by storm.

According to recently released research by comScore, mobile commerce grew 24 percent year-over-year in the second quarter. This represents a total of $4.7 billion spent through the gadgets, the study revealed. Apparel and accessories were the most bought products through mobile commerce, while computer hardware and digital content followed behind, comScore found.

To give an example of how prevalent mobile is within the retail industry, a study by Placed Inc discovered that a significant amount of back-to-school shoppers are using the devices to research, compare and purchase their supplies for the upcoming school year. Internet Retailer reported that the research revealed almost half (48 percent) of patrons are accessing coupons and deals with their gadgets, and 20 percent are actually buying items through their smartphones and tablets.