Around 10 percent of Chinese consumers now buy their mobile phones online and the number making purchases over the Internet is rising rapidly, according to a recent report.

About 30 million mobile phones are expected to sell online across the country this year, a rise of 68 percent year-on-year, according the study by SINO Market Research Ltd. That represents a growth in sales more than 10 times that of mobile phones sold in offline outlets, the report estimated.

It predicted 270 million mobile phones will be sold in brick and mortar stores throughout China in 2012.

360buy.com, China's second-largest business-to-customer e-commerce website, predicted its mobile phone sales will reach 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) by year-end, up from 30 million yuan in 2007.

The website signed strategic procurement agreements with around 20 mobile phone manufacturers on Wednesday to purchase handsets worth 100 billion yuan over three years.

shenjingting@chinadaily.com.cn