Couch commerce heats up Christmas Day

Record levels of mobile traffic helped Christmas Day online sales advance 16.5%, according toIBM digital Analytics Benchmark data.

Mobiletraffic was the highest IBM recorded this holiday season, accounting for 48% of all online traffic,a 28.3% increase compared to the same period last year. Mobile sales also remained strong, accounting for nearly29% of all online sales,a 40% increase compared to2012.



Smartphones drove 28.5% of all online traffic compared to tablets at 18.1%, making it the browsing device of choice. However, tablets drove 19.4% of all online sales, more than twice that of smartphones, which accounted for 9.3%. Tablet users also averaged $95.61 per order, compared to smartphone users, who averaged $85.11 per order.



As a percentage of total online sales, iOS was more than five times higher than Android, driving 23% compared to 4.6% for Android. On average, iOS users spent $93.94 per order, nearly twice that of Android users, who spent $48.10 per order. iOS also led as a component of overall traffic with 32.6% compared to 14.8% for Android.



Shoppers referred from Facebook averaged $72.01 per order, compared to Pinterest referrals, which drove $86.83 per order. However, Facebook referrals converted sales at nearly four times the rate of Pinterest referrals, perhaps indicating stronger confidence in network recommendations.