Though smartphones will play an important role over the holiday season, by 2015 there will be massive growth.
The results of a recent study by Tapjoy have shown that while the next couple of months should be quite defining for mcommerce, over the next three years, the sector will increase by well over 300 percent (up to 362 percent in the United States).
This will occur as more consumers buy smartphones and use them to make their shopping purchases.
Though there are still many shoppers that will head out into even the most crowded malls and stores throughout the holiday shopping season, many are using methods like mcommerce to help to avoid the inconvenience. Though some will be using their smartphones and tablets to actually make the purchases themselves, others will be applying them as research devices so that they know exactly what they’re looking for and where those items are in stock for the best price.
One in five apparel shoppers uses mcommerce at least once per day to research or to buy.
Additional results of the study include the following:
• 54 percent of the customers at Tapjoy had used mcommerce within the previous half year.
• 64 percent of the survey respondents said that they would be using their smartphones or tablet devices in order to make holiday season purchases this year.
• 45 million smartphone owners had looked into the app category for shopping by June 2012, and almost half of them actually use that type of application.
• The average number of times that shopping apps are used by smartphone owners is 17 times per month.
While using their smartphones and tablets for mcommerce purposes, 61 percent use the devices to perform price comparisons, while another 51 percent use them to locate opportunities for savings, such as through promotions and digital coupons.
Those are the two most common uses for wireless device users while they shop. However, other activities that are frequently performed include scanning barcodes such as QR codes, reading reviews, and taking pictures of the products while shopping. Primarily, mcommerce is used to make sure that the customer will obtain the best possible deal.
