Tag: holiday mobile shopping

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.

Mobile shopping to see major growth during holiday season

| November 21, 2012

 

Mobile ShoppingThanksgiving may be the holiday for mobile shopping

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are fast approaching. Both days are very important for physical retailers and online businesses as sales made on these days can more than make up for an entire year of lackluster performance. Black Friday and Cyber Monday have been major holidays for the retail industry and e-commerce respectively, but the growing prevalence of mobile commerce and technology may establish a similar day that could be a major boon for mobile shopping.

More consumers showing interest in mobile shopping

Thanksgiving is a well known holiday in the U.S. As such, the holiday typically means that traditional brick and mortar stores are closed for business. Online retailers, however, remain open throughout the holiday, providing consumers with services that they might not be able to find from physical stores. According to data from IBM/Coremetrics, 15% of U.S. consumers used their mobile devices to visit retail sites on Thanksgiving in 2011, up from the 6.5% that did so in 2010.

Digitas survey shows growing support for mobile commerce and e-commerce

This trend is expected to continue this year, with the possibility of mobile traffic increasing by as much as double for some retailers. Companies like eBay already have plans to begin offering deals on Thanksgiving day, rather than wait for Black Friday or Cyber Monday. According to a recent survey from Digitas, a provider of integrated technology and marketing solutions, shows that many retailers are preparing to serve mobile consumers on Thanksgiving, following the same route as eBay in offering mobile applications that will assist with online shopping.

Survey shows shopping from computer is easier than from mobile device

The Digitas survey does shed some light on the problems facing mobile shopping, however. The survey notes that approximately 76% of the 2,059 respondents surveyed say that shopping from a computer is much easier than from a mobile device. Many consumers attribute the difficulty associated with mobile shopping to the small screens of most mobile devices. Nonetheless, consumers are still likely to heavily participate in mobile shopping during the holiday season.