Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Holiday Shopping Gets Mobilized
The holiday season is upon us and consumers are busy in search of deals, both online and off. Not surprisingly, mobile devices figure to play a bigger role than ever this year in this process, much in the same way they are playing a bigger role in everything consumers do.
Amid a generally sunnier outlook for retail spending, Deloitte’s 24th annual holiday survey found that 19% of US consumers ages 18 and up plan to use their mobile devices to assist in their holiday shopping this year. That may not seem like significant percentage, but bear in mind it’s more than double the 9% who said they planned to use their phones in last year’s survey. And as with most mobile-related endeavors, age is a big factor: 39% of 18-to-29 year-olds said they expect their mobile devices to play a role in their shopping activities, double the rate among all adults.
Still, much of the mobile-driven retail activity will be research-oriented rather than direct m-commerce, according to Deloitte. Of the “mobile shoppers” the survey identified, 55% said they will use their mobile devices to find store locations, 45% to research prices, 40% to get product information and 31% to read product reviews. By contrast, just 25% indicated they would make purchases using their mobile devices, while 32% said they would use their phones to get discounts and coupons.
The interest in mobile coupons points a trend that will intensify for consumers and retailers alike in 2010, so the 2009 holiday season can be seen as the kickoff for tighter integration of mobile in the retail process. The Yankee Group predicts the number of mobile coupons redeemed in North America will increase eleven-fold from 2009 to 2010, while the value of mobile coupon transactions will soar from $5 million to $62 million, and continue growing from there. By 2014, Juniper Research forecasts that mobile coupons will generate nearly $6 billion worldwide in retail redemption value. Interest in mobile coupons is high (particularly so among higher-income shoppers), but most consumers expect them to be free, regardless of income.
Retailers and shoppers: what has your experience been this year with mobile?
My girlfriend and I bought an HDTV last weekend at a local retail electronics store. When we saw that HDMI cables were running for $70, my girlfriend took out her iPhone, went to the Amazon app, and bought the same cables for $20.
The point is, it seems like an increasing number of people are seeking out deals on their phone while they’re in the store. A multi-channel approach — retail, social, mobile, etc — is becoming required for savvy marketers.
Speaking of digital in the mobile space, yesterday we posted an item about ways marketers and retailers can improve that in-store experience using digital media and mobile. Essentially, the iPhone’s Red Laser app is just the beginning for marketers looking to improve consumer communication at the point of sale. You can read the whole thing here.
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by noahelkin: Holiday Shopping Gets Mobilized – new post on the eMarketer Blog http://bit.ly/5Skz2j @eMarketer @noahelkin #holiday #shopping…
I like this, go mobile!
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With group buying site http://www.communityshopper.com, shoppers can join together with their smartphones to buy together, in bulk, at reduced prices.
Acc to me i think now mobile devices plays a gud role in locating shopping stores, research prices, product info & product review.
The article mentions that 32% of the people surveyed would use their mobile phones to get discounts and coupons. This is what many small business owners are just starting to grasp and take advantage of. Their customers WANT coupons from them on their mobile phones. An excellent article about the rise of text message marketing for small business and how to go about it effectively can be found at the Mad Progress Marketing site. Also some other good facts about the current state of mobile coupons over at the Jack Folsgood blog.