Mega Monday proves attractive to mobile shoppers
IBM Digital Analytics has released a new report concerning the performance of mobile commerce in the United Kingdom on the famous “Mega Monday” shopping event. Mega Monday fell on November 25 this year and is quite popular among consumers because of the special deals and discounts retailers tend to offer on that particular day. This year, consumers appeared to have favored shopping with their mobile devices rather than participate in traditional forms of commerce, largely due to convenience issues.
42% of online retail traffic came from mobile devices on Mega Monday
According to the report, online sales rose by 33.5% on Mega Monday over what they had been during the same day of 2012. Approximately 42% of all online traffic came from mobile devices, a 68% increase over 2012’s online retail traffic volume. The majority of this traffic resulted in a sale, with consumers taking advantage of the deals that were being offered by retailers during Mega Monday.
Tablets are ideal for mobile shopping
The report shows that many people favored their tablets over their smartphones when it came to mobile shopping. This is largely due to the more accommodating nature of tablets. The large screens of these devices make it easier for consumers to navigate retail sites, thereby making it easier to find and purchase products that they are interested in. Smartphones remain popular among most consumers, however, due to their convenient size.
Retailers look to mimic the success of the past
The holiday season has long been a significant time of year for retailers. Over the past two years, retailers have been putting more focus on the mobile sector, and this has been paying off for many companies. In 2011 and 2012, retailers saw a significant increase in revenue due to their proclivity for engaging mobile consumers. Many are hoping to mimic this success this year by ramping up their mobile commerce initiatives.
The holidays add more momentum to mobile commerce
Consumers in Europe may be getting a head start on their holiday shopping. Many people have been flooding retail sites on their mobile devices in order to get some of their holiday shopping done early. While retailers have not yet begun to provide the special offers that have become common for the holidays, many of these companies are offering some special discounts to those that participate in mobile commerce. A new report from Adobe predicts that mobile commerce will have a major impact on this year’s holiday season.
Report highlights the growth of mobile sales and online traffic
According to the Adobe Digital Index 2013 Online Shopping Forecast, approximately 12.4% of all online sales in eleven European countries are expected to come from smartphones and tablets. This is a 68% increase over what had been reported in the previous year. Smartphones are expected to be the platform through which the majority of mobile sales are made, with tablets following closely behind. The report suggests that December 9, 2013, will be the highest grossing online shopping day, with the following week being the highest grossing week for retailers in Europe.
Consumers favor convenience of mobile commerce
Mobile commerce is cited as one of the caused behind this growth in online sales and online retail traffic. Consumers have become enthralled with the concept of mobile commerce because of the convenience that it represents. Mobile shopping allows consumers to avoid visiting physical stores, thereby avoiding crowds and expediting the shopping experience. Mobile commerce has proven so convenient that many consumers are opting to get their shopping done before the holidays even begin. These people are willing to forgo the special deals being offered by retailers during the holiday season in order to get their shopping done ahead of time.
Retailers continue to bolster their mobile platforms
Mobile commerce is expected to have a prominent impact on the retail industries in Austria, France, Germany, Denmark, and the United Kingdom, as well as other countries. The 2012 holiday season showcased the power that mobile commerce has over consumers, and retailers have spent much of 2013 preparing their mobile platforms in order to take advantage of the continued growth of mobile commerce among consumers.
