Adobe survey: Online holiday shopping looks strong

San Jose, Calif. -- Despite the shortest shopping season since 2002, online sales look strong for the upcoming holidays. A new survey from Adobe predicts record growth for online sales on Thanksgiving with $1.1 billion and Black Friday with $1.6 billion, increases of 21% and 17%, respectively.



An Adobe survey done in conjunction with this year’s Digital Index Online Shopping Forecast shows that consumers are motivated to shop online primarily by the search for good deals, followed closely by the allure of free shipping. The survey is based on input from 400 consumers who plan to spend at least some of their budget online this year. Survey results and additional predictions from the report include:



Mobile: Mobile optimized retailers will transact more than 20% of their sales via smartphones and tablets, a 47% increase year over year. The average retailer can expect only 14% of mobile-driven online revenue, a 40% increase year over year. Mobile devices will be leveraged even while consumers are in a retailer’s physical store, with nearly four in ten consumers reporting that they have shopped online while in a store.



Social Media: While Adobe is predicting that only two percent of purchases will come directly from social media sites including Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Twitter, social continues to play a more significant role earlier in the purchasing journey. Thirty-six percent of consumers stated that they will turn to social media when making their purchase decision.



Spending: The majority of consumers expect to spend the same amount in 2013 as they did last year, but online shopping continues to take a bigger share. Consumers report being most likely to shop online for apparel and accessories, followed closely by books, music, videos, and toys and hobby items.



Showrooming: In store price checking, commonly referred to as showrooming, will become the norm. Thirty five percent of 18-34-year-olds already leverage mobile devices to compare prices while in stores, well above the 22% average.