NEW YORK (AP)—Shoppers buying on their phones this holiday season will see new ways stores are making it easier and faster as they try to lock in sales before people swipe to the next site.
“It’s not just a shopper’s tool,” said Tamara Gaffney, principal analyst and director at Adobe Digital Insights, the research arm of Adobe Systems. “It’s now so embedded in our existence we don’t even think about the fact that we pulled out our phone and bought things.”
[pullquote]“In the past, consumers did their research online and then purchased in-store, but brick and mortar stores are now critical to consumers’ research needs. Consumers came and bought, impulsively and socially. They do research online, compare prices, look for deals and even try on an outfit and Snapchat it to a friend, all while in the store.”
Tom McGee, CEO, International Council of Shopping Centers[/pullquote]
Mobile shopping accounted for $4.61 billion in sales from Thanksgiving through Nov. 28, according to Adobe Digital Insights. Some 54 percent of visits to retailers’ sites and 36 percent of sales for the five-day period came from phones and tablets.
Here are four ways smartphones are changing the way people shop—and how retailers are responding:
MORE IMPULSE BUYING: Mobile shopping entices people to buy right when they’re thinking about it, Gaffney said, “It’s this sense of urgency.” She noted that retailers that had more mobile traffic enjoyed a 30 percent increase in online revenue.
Retailers need to make it easier to find items so shoppers don’t quickly move on.
“They want it fast,” said Peter Cobb, co-founder and executive vice president of eBags, which says mobile accounted for 43 percent of visits and 20 percent of sales for the five-day period. The handbags and luggage site now highlights the top five sales hits to save people from sorting through 90,000 products.
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