Cyber Monday’ was widely hailed as the busiest online shopping day, and last weekend saw the second ‘double bubble’ of Christmas shopping surges on eBay with the busiest weekend yet. eBay reckon that this Sunday, the 15th of December is set to bring a peak in mobile shopping around the world as consumers pick up their mobile devices when last minute inspiration (or panic!) strikes.
How consumers are shopping |
|
|---|---|
Physical Shops |
66% |
Tablet |
25% |
Desktop |
11% |
Mobile |
7% |
| NB Some shoppers buy on more than one device | |
According to the new research, over 80% of tablet owners are using the devices to shop, with over 60% saying they will do more Christmas shopping because of their tablet.
The study, compiled by retail analysts Conlumino, also reveals that tablets are a likely source of shopping inspiration for those hard to buy friends and relatives. Over 60% say they regularly use tablets when browsing and deciding what to buy, and 43% are using them to compare prices online.
Although the research shows physical shops are likely to take the highest share of Christmas shopping spend (66%), tablets come in second place, taking a quarter of the budget (25%), more than desktops and laptops combined.
More interestingly eBay’s own analysis shows that customers who shop on a tablet, in addition to another device, typically spend twice as much with the online marketplace as those who shop on only one device such as desktop.
There’s little doubt that shopping habits are changing. eBay’s figures largely follow those published by CPC Strategies which also shows tablets are driving more online sales than other devices.
4 Responses
looking at 10% of your client base of 225 is like saying hedgehogs are dying out because you haven’t seen one in your garden for 12 months.
My belief, the explosion in mcommerce (buying via mobile and tablet) is a fad. More and more tabs are coming out with keyboard attachments. The Chromebook/Cloud model is taking market-share. Full circle in a very quick time? Long Live the Desktop!
The research says users are browsing these devices to help with the decision making process. They are being used to “inspire”. Through which channel is the cash handed over?
I would say these are all now important in the ‘selling process’ and you can’t have one without the other. Whilst this focuses on consumers’ shopping habits, it would be interesting to see this overlayed with where consumers actually made their purchases. Whilst showrooming became an official word this year, we’ll need a word for the reverse happening—comparing and browsing online and then making a physical purchase in a shop.