Holiday survey: 40% of smartphone/tablet users will increase mobile shopping

New York --More shoppers will be leveraging their mobile phones for holiday purchasing than ever before. Burst Media and Rhythm NewMedia’s 10th annual holiday survey found that 39.5% of respondents who use a smartphone and/or tablet to shop will use their mobile devices more this holiday season versus last.



As well, of shoppers who use mobile devices inside brick-and-mortar stores to help with the shopping experience, one-half (53.8%) research and compare prices of different stores—and 41.5% research and compare the features of different brands.

Push notifications received in physical locations drive retail purchases, the survey found. Three-quarters (76.8%) of respondents who report receiving mobile push notifications in-store for promotions read the alerts when they come through—and 67.2% usually redeem what is being offered.



Mobile payment systems are used by young shoppers, according to the findings. Nearly one-quarter (22.2%) of 18-34 year-olds who use mobile devices to shop use apps such as Google Wallet and Apple Pay to purchase items inside physical locations—including 40% of men aged 18-24.



Other key findings include:



• Two-fifths (39.5%) of respondents who use a smartphone and/or tablet to shop will use their mobile devices more this holiday season versus last.



• Among respondents who will research holiday items/purchases on their mobile devices, 58.8% say they will do so to assist in making online purchases, 46.2% say they will do so to help with offline purchases and one-third (33.3%) will make purchases directly on these device(s).



• Consumers shop online to avoid the stress of dealing with big lines and crowds. One-quarter (24.9%) of respondents say their favorite aspect about shopping digitally is that it’s “relaxed.”



• As of mid-October, more than one-quarter (27.2%) of respondents have started shopping for the holidays. This figure nearly doubles the 2013 finding for the same period.



• Planned use of a desktop device for holiday shopping has dropped sharply. In 2014, one-third (32.7%) of respondents report using desktops for online holiday shopping—compared to 47.8% in 2013.



• Consumers use Connected TVs and Gaming Platforms to shop. Among all respondents, 10.5% use Connected TVs and 7.5% use gaming platforms (e.g., Xbox) to shop for the holidays—and men aged 18-24 lead the way at 24.0% and 28.0%, respectively.