Cyber Monday was one for the record books with consumers going online to spend a record $3.45 billion. And a big enabler of all that spending was people using smartphones as well as other mobile devices, says global ecommerce services provider ChannelAdvisor.
Data from Adobe Digital Insights found that consumers were still shopping at work and otherwise on Monday despite big discounts being available starting on Thanksgiving Day. CA had already reported that mobile shopping set a record on Thanksgiving.
It’s a new world for shoppers, CA notes.
“[A] key takeaway is the continuing evidence that shoppers prefer to shop on their own terms: anytime, anywhere and on any device.”
And as WTA reported Tuesday, free shipping is a big driver.
How were people shopping?
Triangle-based ChannelAdvisor says more than ever consumers are using smartphones and tablets to find then buy holiday bargains.
CA’s data finds that “mobile grew aggressively,” delivering:
- Nearly 73% of traffic
- 46% of orders
- Smartphones dominated as tool of choice, surging 28 percent year-over-year
- So did orders, climbing 29 percent vs. 2015.
Perhaps most importantly, online lookers became buyers with the “conversion rate” (i.e. making a perchase) climbed to 2.38 percent overall. That’s an 8.5 percent improvement from 2015.
“For the past several years that ChannelAdvisor has tracked mobile conversion rates, smartphone conversion rates have hovered around the 1.8% to 2.1% range, though smartphone traffic has continuously increased. Getting shoppers to commit to buy online is an industry-wide challenge that has seen retailers pouring money into mobile sites, custom apps, improved checkout experiences and retargeting campaigns,” CA noted in its Cyber Five recap.
“This year, it may all finally be paying off. As mentioned above, we’ve been excited to see the conversion rate for smartphone traffic jump by 8.5%, from 2.19% in 2015 to 2.38% in 2016.”
Adds CA’s Caroline Riddle: “Shoppers spent a lot of time searching and buying on mobile over the holidays, then returned to computers on Cyber Monday.”
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