Apple delivers a highly satisfying online shopping experience not only to desktop visitors, but also to mobile customers, according to a new ForeSee study.  In fact, Apple tops the list when it comes to mobile shopper satisfaction, edging out online shopping heavyweights like Amazon and eBay.

The study found that Apple’s online store achieved an average score of 85 out of a possible 100 from its 3,000 polled online mobile shoppers, beating Amazon by just one point. ForeSee’s research covered both the websites and apps of the top 40 most frequented online commerce websites in the U.S. In a linked ForeSee survey of 8,500 online shoppers at traditional websites conducted for the study, Apple scored 83 overall, tying for second with Avon behind Amazon’s score of 88.

I’m actually surprised that Apple scored so highly among mobile shoppers, since the mobile site for store.apple.com actually isn’t tailored to mobile screens at all; it’s the same site people reach when they visit the store in their desktop browser. But the study covers both apps and websites, and Apple has a very impressive app for its store for iPhone devices.

The app, which was updated this year to provide access to Apple’s new EasyPay option for purchasing low-cost items in physical retail locations, as well as in-store pickup of in-stock items, and the ability to order custom Mac hardware configurations, definitely stands out from the crowd. And because it’s Apple’s own app, users can even pay for items using their existing iTunes account, so there’s no need to enter any payment or delivery information so long as you have that info on file.

Some might criticize Apple’s approach as limiting its appeal beyond a core audience of iPhone users, but the results of this ForeSee study suggest it’s doing something right. Maybe that has to do with the increased tendency users have to check out apps first, and the web second when on mobile.

Still, ForeSee notes that for the time being, mobile devices generally play more of a role in research than in actually pulling the trigger on a purchase. Thirty-four percent of online shoppers use mobile channels for learning more about products, but only 15 percent actually bought the product on a mobile device. That is an increase from last year, however, when just 11 percent of shoppers actually bought from their phones.

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