Report highlights the growth of mobile sales and traffic
IBM has released a new report concerning the performance of e-commerce on Thanksgiving and Black Friday of this year. The report shows that online sales reached new heights this year, with mobile sales showing record growth. Retailers had been anticipating that mobile commerce would have a strong showing during the 2013 holiday shopping season, but many have been surprised at just how many people have taken to shopping from their mobile devices this year.
Black Friday proves popular with mobile shoppers
According to IBM’s report, the average order value for online consumers was $135.57 on Thanksgiving Day, a 2.2% increase over what order value had been reported in 2012. Thanksgiving Day saw the greatest degree of foot traffic to physical stores, but consumers opted to shop from their mobile devices during Black Friday. The report shows that mobile traffic to retail websites grew by 39%. Mobile sales also showed healthy growth, with sales spiking 43% over what they had been on Black Friday of 2012.
Smartphones are leading the charge in mobile commerce
Smartphones were the most popular mobile commerce platform for most consumers. Many favored iOS devices for their mobile shopping forays, but Android devices have been growing more popular for mobile commerce in recent months. The report shows that the majority of mobile sales came from consumers based in Atlanta, Georgia.
Efforts of retailers may be paying off
Retailers have been hard at work trying to engage mobile consumers. Throughout 2013, many retailers have been teaming with mobile commerce firms in order to provide consumers with different and more convenient ways to shop and pay for products. In order to entice consumers, many retailers have been offering special discounts specifically for mobile shoppers. These initiatives have proven quite effective, as IBM’s report shows the strong growth in mobile sales and traffic that have been reported this year.
Mobile commerce experiencing strong growth in retail
IBM has issued a new report concerning the growth of mobile commerce in the retail sector. The report — “Online Retail Index” — shows that mobile commerce has been growing in popularity among mobile consumers that favor their smartphones and devices over traditional means of shopping. Many of these consumers have become very comfortable with the concept of shopping online but are becoming less likely to remain tethered to stationary computers while doing so. Mobile technology has allowed these tech-savvy consumers to shop wherever they are, enabling them to shop more frequently and, in some cases, spend more money.
Tablets contributing to expansion of mobile shopping
According to the IBM report, mobile commerce grew by 31% in the first quarter of this year, up from where it had been in the same period of 2012. The report notes that growing tablet use is a major contributing factor to the growth mobile commerce is experiencing. Many consumers consider tablets to be convenient mobile shopping platforms. Larger screens offer better functionality with conventional e-commerce sites, making these sites easier to navigate removing some of the problems consumers have had with purchasing products.
Online sales are becoming increasingly mobile
The report indicates that mobile commerce now accounts for 17.4% of all online retail sales. This is expected to grow in the future as more consumers become acclimated to the concept of mobile shopping and purchasing products with nothing more than their smartphones or tablets. IBM predicts that growth will be sustained by retailers’ ability to provide consumers with a positive shopping experience and their ability to cater to tablet users.
Interactive technologies help attract consumers to mobile commerce
The IBM report notes that the use of interactive technologies, such as augmented reality and QR codes, has helped boost the adoption of mobile commerce. These technologies have been able to engage consumers in a new and dynamic way, encouraging them to make purchases of products that they are most interested in. In the case of QR codes, consumers have been able to make use of retailer discounts at a higher frequency, as long as they purchase products from a mobile device.
