Mobile devices are driving holiday sales, as new IBM data reveals that online traffic from mobile devices outpaced PCs on Thanksgiving Day for the first time.
According to the IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark Hub, overall Thanksgiving Day online sales were up 14.3 percent when compared to 2013, and mobile devices like smartphones and tablets accounted for 52.1 percent of all online traffic. Conversely, Black Friday online sales were up 9.5 percent year-over-year and mobile devices accounted for 27.9 percent of those conversions.
"Mobile has become the new Thanksgiving tradition as consumers find the best deals with their fingers as well as their feet," said Jay Henderson, Director, IBM Smarter Commerce. "We saw retailers harness the power of data to engage shoppers, identifying the unique preferences of their customers while quickly capitalizing on online, mobile or in-store trends as they emerged."
Additional data found that while smartphones drove more than double the traffic of tablets on Black Friday, tablets actually drove more conversions. Moreover, tablet users spend an average of $126.50 per order compared to $107.55 for smartphone users. It is also important to note that iOS users led the way when it comes to mobile shopping, outpacing Android users in average order value, online traffic and total online sales.
