IBM: Cyber Monday online sales up 8.7% at mid-day; mobile accounts for 21.3% of all sales

Cyber Monday online sales were up 8.7% as of 3 p.m. EST over the same period on Cyber Monday 2013, according to IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark, with mobile traffic accounting for 38.6% of all online traffic, up 28.8% over last year. Mobile sales accounted for 21.3% of all online sales on Cyber Monday, an increase of 29.3% year over year.



Here are the key drivers behind the Cyber Monday trends, according to IBM:



•The Desktop is Not Dead: Even as mobile shopping continues to grow, many consumers chose a more traditional online experience. Desktop PC traffic represented 61.2% of all online traffic, and 78.7% of all online sales. Further, consumers spent more money on their desktops with an average order value of $138.17 compared to their mobile devices at $119.16, a difference of 16 percent.



•Consumers Cash-In on Online Bargains: Average order value was $133.07, flat compared to 2013. Shoppers also purchased an average of 4 items per order, up 4.7%. This trend may indicate that shoppers are becoming more comfortable and digitally savvy in how they use online coupons and rebates to secure the best bargains.



•Smartphones Browse, Tablets Buy: Smartphones drove 28.2% of total online traffic, almost three times that of tablets, which accounted for 10.2% of all online traffic. However, tablets are winning the shopping war. Tablet sales accounted for 11.5% of online sales, compared to smartphones, which accounted for 9.8% of total online sales, a difference of 17.9%.



• Apple iOS vs. Android: Apple iOS once again led the way in mobile shopping this holiday season, outpacing Android across three key metrics:

-- Average Order Value: Apple iOS users averaged $124.61 per order compared to $102.93 for Android users.

-- Online Traffic: Apple iOS traffic accounted for 26.3% of total online traffic, more than double that of Android, which drove 12% of all online traffic.

-- Online Sales: Apple iOS sales accounted for 16.5% of total online sales, nearly four times times that of Android, which drove 4.6% of all online sales.



•Facebook vs. Pinterest: As marketers continue to rely on social channels to drive brand loyalty and sales, IBM analyzed trends across two leading sites, Facebook and Pinterest. Facebook referrals drove an average of $128.06 per order, while Pinterest referrals averaged $93.81 per order.