Figures in the latest IBM Coremetrics Benchmark suggest that record numbers of US consumers will shift their online Christmas shopping from PCs to mobile devices. Last October, 4.2% of people used a mobile device to visit a retailer’s site - but that figure had more than doubled to almost 11% this year. Similarly, mobile sales reached 9.6% in October 2011, up from 3.4% in October 2010.
Overall, the influence of mobile devices is expected to cause online holiday shopping in November to grow by 12% to 15% compared with November 2010.
John Squire, Director of Product Management for the Enterprise Marketing Management Group at IBM Industry Solutions, said “This November holiday season will mark the true advent of the post-PC era with consumers demonstrating a heightened interest in adding mobile devices to their holiday shopping arsenal. In response, savvy retailers must invest in delivering hyper-personalized, smarter commerce shopping experiences that are capable of building loyalty through multiple channels with exceptionally relevant promotions, free shipping and more.”
The IBM Coremetrics Benchmark analysis gathers data directly from the web sites of more than 500 leading US retailers.