Marketers are always on the lookout for the trends that are going to impact the biggest sales period of the calendar year: the holidays. Americans spend billions of dollars during the six-week period stretching from Thanksgiving to Christmas, and if you take into account the fact that many holiday deals now pop up on the radar before Halloween that number climbs significantly higher. If your business is struggling to figure out how to get ahead of the game for the holidays, consider these four ways in which mobile is going to impact the 2015 holiday shopping season.
Shoppers Turning to Online Shopping
In a recent post, we covered marketing trends for the upcoming shopping season. In that post, the statistics showed that more and more shoppers are researching online and purchasing online. While 78% of shoppers still plan on shopping in-store, the number of consumers planning on using their mobile device (tablet or smartphone) to shop is climbing. According to Google, roughly 43% of consumers plan on using a mobile device to shop in 2015.
Payments are Changing
While some remain cautious about using mobile payment platforms such as Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or Google Wallet, these features are likely to change the face of shopping during the holiday season sooner, rather than later. An estimated 45% of consumers plan to use one of these mobile payment platforms in 2015. When shopping trends change, it’s natural to assume that payment trends change as well.
Speaking of Money…
Consumers are spending a lot of money through their mobile devices. Smartphones give consumers unfettered access to your brand and your products 24/7, and they are taking advantage by shopping during every “I-want-to-buy moment” of the day. How much are consumers spending through their mobile devices? According to Javelin Strategy & Research, mobile retail commerce and spending in the U.S. will grow to $217.4 billion by 2019. On top of that, Ipsos MediaCT found that 53% of those shopping online during the holidays are doing so on mobile devices rather than desktops, a jump from 41% in 2013.
Your Brand is Up for Grabs
What does this mean? Shoppers use mobile devices to compare brands and products. It can be done in the blink of an eye at any time of the day. Without awareness of this fact and a solid brand presence, you could be losing out. Ipsos MediaCT also found that consumers are open to change, looking to new stores and brands for holiday shopping. More than 50% of shoppers are willing to buy from a new retailer, and 41% acted on that impulse last year.
Mobile is changing the way marketers and advertisers think. It’s become far too important to ignore, especially when there is big money at stake during the holiday shopping season.
Read More: Boosting Your Small Business Brand with Effective Holiday Marketing