Tag: 2012 holiday season

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 commerce tipping point approaches with holiday season

| November 23, 2012

 

Mobile Commerce Holiday SeasonE-commerce and mobile commerce expected to see major growth during holiday season

E-commerce is set to see major growth in the wake of the 2012 holiday season. The growth of e-commerce is due to many factors, such as the expansion of mobile commerce services, early online deals, rising ownership of mobile devices, and free shipping offers becoming more common. More consumers are relying on their mobile devices for shopping and research. As such, e-commerce platforms and sites are expected to see a significant amount of traffic that could show just how viable mobile commerce really is.

ComScore predicts promising results for e-commerce

According to ComScore, an international analytics firm, online sales are expected to grow by as much as 18% in the U.S. during the 2012 holiday season. Last year, e-commerce broke spending records for the holiday season by accounting for $37.2 billion in sales, according to the firm. This trend is expected to become more pronounced this year due to the lengths many retailers have gone to cater to mobile consumers and provide them with the services they need.

Wal-Mart and others continue catering to mobile consumers

Wal-Mart is one such retailer. The company is expecting to see more than 600 million online visitors during the holiday season, a 13% increase from the traffic it saw last year. The retailers has adopted a strong mobile commerce focus, hoping to appeal to tech-savvy consumers that rely heavily on their mobile devices for shopping and product research. Wal-Mart is also among the many retail companies that are offering special offers earlier than normal, hoping to get a jump start on Black Friday, the most important day of the year for the U.S. retail industry.

2012 holiday season may prove how powerful mobile commerce can be

E-commerce is not expected to diminish in the wake of the holiday season. As retailers see major gains through their mobile commerce initiatives, they are expected to through more support behind platforms that cater to mobile consumers. Indeed, the 2012 holiday season may mark a tipping point for mobile commerce, and e-commerce in general, as retailers and other see just how powerful mobile engagement can actually be in terms of business.