Most consumers haven’t yet warmed to the idea of purchasing over their smartphones and tablets.
Despite the fact that this will likely be the biggest year (by far) for mobile commerce during the holiday season, the latest research is still showing that most consumers are less than enchanted with actually making a purchase through the use of their devices.
The research results were recently revealed by ICM, and were published in Retail Week.
The ICM research showed that 60 percent of all shoppers don’t plan to use mobile commerce at all throughout the length of the holiday shopping season. That said, one third of the respondents to the survey do plan to use their devices in at least some way as a part of the overall shopping process.
At the same time, the survey also showed that the future is looking very bright for mobile commerce.
We may not be there yet, but things are looking very promising in the not too distant future, due to younger consumers. It is that age group that appears to be the most open to purchasing through mobile commerce. In fact, 14 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 34 are expected to conduct a considerable amount of their Christmas shopping using smartphones and tablets.
A number of retailers have already been discussing their predictions regarding mobile commerce over the winter holiday shopping season. According to Andy Street, the managing director of John Lewis, there is already a 40 percent share of site traffic that comes from smartphones and tablets, so they are gearing up for a Christmas season that is heavily mobile. He stated that “Purchasing from desktop is moving to mobile. It is at 40% and growing very rapidly and we expect to see that moving forward again,” and added that “We are preparing for what we anticipate will be the UK’s first ‘mobile Christmas’.”
Home Retail, the parent company of Argos, has also applauded mobile commerce. Last week, it shared its own figures, saying that there has been an increase of 133 percent in sales over smartphones and tablets, and that 17 percent of its total sales in the second quarter were from these devices.
Online sales expected to jump as Christmas draws near, according to eCommerce Websites
Online sales are expected to see a significant jump in the days leading up to Christmas, according to research from eCommerce Websites, an e-commerce website development firm. The firm notes that it has been seeing a spike in the number of consumers that are using online mediums to purchase products. eCommerce Website draws on information from a recent PayPal study that shows that online sales throughout the world accounted for more than $1.2 trillion during 2012.
Consumers show interest in online shopping
eCommerce Websites suggests that businesses, both large and small, prepare to see higher online traffic as the holidays draw closer. While many consumers have finished their holiday shopping, taking advantage of the major deals that were offered by retailers during the Thanksgiving shopping weekend, many more tend to wait until the very last minute in order to purchase gifts for their loved ones. Online mediums are perfectly suited to meet the needs of these consumers by providing them a way to get through the last of their holiday shopping without having to compete with crowds.
E-commerce platforms must be bolstered to meet consumer demands
In order to better accommodate consumers, eCommerce Websites suggests that businesses bolster their e-commerce sites. During the Thanksgiving shopping weekend, many e-commerce sites from some of the world’s largest retailers experienced problems because of the massive level of traffic they experienced. This traffic caused slow-downs on several e-commerce platforms, leading to complaints from consumers who were keen on buying products that they were interested in. eCommerce Websites notes that having a capable e-commerce platform is necessary for businesses to take advantage of the growing number of mobile consumers.
Mobile commerce may see further growth during Christmas
The holiday season is still in full swing and that could be good news for mobile commerce. Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday have all proven to be popular holidays for mobile commerce. Christmas is expected to see similar results, with a huge number of consumers expected to use their mobile devices to purchase gifts for themselves and for loved ones.
