Thanksgiving Day weekend has felt dramatically different the last
few years, hasn’t it?
With the explosion of Black Friday, there is much more to
celebrate than just family, food, and football. For many years I had grown accustomed, with the
urging of my wife, to participate by doing a little shopping among the masses. Burning
a few leftover calories to start the rush of shopping season was the routine as
we wandered aimlessly looking for the best deals. But technology, especially
mobile devices, has provided a powerful combination of access and convenience
to informed consumers that are laser-focused on what they want. Knowing that
Cyber Monday is now a part of the mix just confirms that holiday shopping has
taken on a whole new dimension.
Although Black Friday through Cyber Monday produced fewer visits to
actual web sites in 2011 compared to last year, mobile phone and tablet usage
increased significantly. That increased usage resulted in 9.8% of total sales
for Black Friday compared to 3.2% in 2010 (see graphic below) via mobile
devices. This significant jump only confirms where things are headed for
e-commerce (or in this case m-commerce) and the future focus of many digital marketing campaigns. Additionally,
PayPal saw a four-fold (371%) increase in the number of customers shopping via
mobile on Black Friday compared to last year. If you’re a business owner and
have yet to embrace mobile marketing, now just might be the time to do so. Consumers continue to embrace
their iPads and smartphones as a means not only to connect and interact with
retailers, but more importantly, to share experiences and seek knowledge from
others. The opportunity in the mobile space will only become exponentially more
lucrative.
Wow! If the mobile shopping wave hasn’t hit us in the face already,
then maybe we just aren’t paying attention.
