Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? And will you use your mobile or tablet to make any purchases?
Shopping sites tend to get an above average share of visits from mobile devices during the Christmas shopping period, according to Experian Marketing Services.
This year, more consumers than ever before are expected to use their mobile devices for browsing ideas and buying gifts, and Experian predicts that many shopping categories will break the 50% mark in the next couple of months — meaning that more than half of their online traffic comes from mobile.
Recent research from Adobe underlines the importance of online and mobile shopping in the UK at this time of year.
Adobe’s 2015 Holiday Shopping Prediction found that more than half (57%) of Christmas shopping in the UK this year will be done online, and mobile devices will account for almost a quarter (23%) of this, equivalent to around £2.3 billion.
The research showed that UK consumers choose to do their Christmas shopping online to find special deals and to make the whole process less stressful.
“This year’s report once again underscores the importance of the Christmas shopping season as a driver for e-commerce across Europe, giving consumers the ability to take advantage of low prices, retailer offers and product variety without battling crowds on the High Street,” commented Adobe EMEA president Mark Zablan.
“But consumers aren’t just looking for the best deal, the report this year indicates that they are increasingly looking at product reviews and social media to guide their Christmas purchases,” Zablan noted. “This is an important insight for European retailers. They need to find ways of going beyond deals to create meaningful opportunities to engage with consumers throughout the customer journey that will drive them to the point of purchase. Social media is a key channel to achieve that.”
There is a fundamental desire for social interaction and decision reassurance. Consumers will always be attracted to an in-store shopping experience and this cannot entirely be replaced by the traditional ecommerce model. Social shopping sites integrate social aspects (such as product sharing, rating and front-facing user engagement). They contain feeds specifically for the user and the process of collective shopping helps to reaffirm and guide purchase decisions. Social shopping focuses on making online shopping fun and sharing your buys with friends or likeminded strangers.” Jeroen Lub, Partner (quote from “The connected consumer: a life lived online”)
To download a copy of our research report “The connected consumer: a life lived online”(written in association with Retail Week) please click here.
Tags: Mobile, Smart phones
