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Mobile commerce kick starts holiday shopping season

| November 27, 2012

 

Mobile Commerce ThanksgivingMobile commerce performs well on Thanksgiving day

Mobile commerce has performed well, even ahead of Black Friday. The holiday season has been expected to be a major success for the mobile commerce industry, but this success may be quickly exceeding the expectations of retailers and those invested in the mobile commerce industry itself. According to data from IBM’s Benchmark service, a platform that provides ongoing measurements of the performance of more than 500 retail companies in the U.S., shows that consumers have been eager to kick start their holiday shopping.

Data shows mobile traffic spikes on Thanksgiving

According to the data from the Benchmark service, online sales spiked 14% on Thanksgiving day, with each sale accounting for an average of $132. The data highlights a strong showing from the mobile commerce sector, where a veritable tide of consumers have been using their mobile devices to purchase products online and at the few retail locations that were open on the holiday. The data shows that the number of consumers using a mobile device to visit a retail site reached 26% on Thanksgiving day, up from the 15% it had been in the previous year.

Apple suggests shopping on holidays becoming more socially acceptable

Technology giant Apple suggests that this is largely due to the concept that mobile commerce and shopping has become more socially acceptable on the day of the holiday. In the past, shopping on Thanksgiving day may have been considered somewhat anti-social, if not wholly impossible due to it being a federal holiday. The stigma surrounding holiday shopping may be diminishing, however, as IBM sees a significant uptick in the number of consumers that are actually purchasing products from their mobile devices. Approximately 9% of all mobile traffic is coming from iOS devices, such as the iPhone and iPad, according to Apple.

Data expected to show capabilities of mobile commerce

The data from the IBM Benchmark service shows that mobile commerce certainly kicked off the holiday shopping season, which began nearly 24 hours before Black Friday. Black Friday remains the most important day of the year for the retail industry, however, and the data for such a major shopping day is expected to further show how powerful mobile commerce is becoming with consumers.

Digital commerce becoming more important

| November 26, 2012

 

mobile digital commerceDigital commerce is quickly becoming a major factor for businesses all over the world

Digital commerce (mobile, social, etc.) is becoming a major factor in the world of business. Several industries are seeing the impact of digital commerce and are working to appeal to consumers with smart phones and other mobile devices. Indeed, digital commerce is expected to become a major part of engagement strategies for businesses that want to stay relevant with tech-savvy consumers. Thomas Idea, a leading interactive agency, suggests that companies all over the world will have to adopt digital commerce or risk being left behind by consumers that are becoming more reliant on mobile technology.

Thomas Idea takes note of the digital commerce trend

Thomas Idea has seen the trend of digital commerce gain significant momentum over the past year and believes that this momentum will only continue to grow into the future. The agency notes that one of the most promising sectors of the digital commerce space is in-store mobile applications, services that help making mobile shopping more convenient for consumers. Consumers often turn to mobile commerce to make their shopping experience easier, thus companies appealing to this interest.

Retailers being encouraged to provide mobile services to consumers

Thomas Idea notes that many consumers use mobile applications to compare prices and research products, as well as connect to social networks. Companies that help facilitate these interests could see their favor increase amongst tech-savvy consumers, who are becoming a significant economic force in and of themselves. The agency notes that U.S. retailer Walgreens’ uses an application called Aisle 411 that allows consumers to find the products they are looking for from 7,900 of the retailer’s stores. Using the app, consumers can track down these products to their exact location in the physical world.

Personalized campaigns could be major success

The agency notes that personalized promotions will become more important for businesses in 2013. Digital commerce platforms enable retailers to fine tune their sales campaign to focus on the specific interests of particular consumers, while also still appealing to a broad demographic. If companies can find ways to engage mobile consumers, they could see major economic gain in 2013.