IBM: Mobile consumers boost Cyber Monday performance

Armonk, N.Y. – Mobile traffic and sales trends indicate that Cyber Monday is increasingly becoming an event consumers take with them wherever they go. According to IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark data, Cyber Monday mobile traffic accounted for 41.2% of all online traffic, up 30.1% from 2013.



Mobile sales were also strong, reaching 22% of total Cyber Monday online sales, an increase of 27.6% year-over-year. Interestingly, smartphones drove mobile traffic but tablets led the way in mobile sales. Smartphones drove 28.5% of all Cyber Monday online traffic, more than double that of tablets, which accounted for 12.5% of all traffic. Yet, when it comes to mobile sales, tablets drove 12.9% of online sales compared to 9.1% for smartphones, a difference of 41.5%. Tablet users also averaged $121.49 per order compared to $99.61 for smartphone users, a difference of 22%.



iOS once again led the way in mobile shopping this holiday season, outpacing Android across three key metrics on Cyber Monday. iOS users averaged $114.79 per order compared to $96.84 for Android users, a difference 18.5%. In addition, iOS traffic accounted for 28.7% of total online traffic, more than double that of Android, which drove 12.2% of all online traffic. And iOS sales accounted for 17.4% of total online sales, more than four times that of Android, which drove 4.4% of all online sales.



Looking at broader Cyber Monday trends, IBM found that Cyber Monday online sales grew by 8.5% from 2013. Average order value was $124.21, down 3.5% year-over-year. Desktop PCs accounted for 58.6% of all online traffic and 78% of all online sales. Consumers also spent more while shopping on their PCs with an average order value of $128.24 compared to $110.72 for mobile shoppers, a difference of 15.8%.



IBM also analyzed trends across two leading sites, Facebook and Pinterest. Pinterest referrals drove an average of $97.78 per order compared to $123.44 for Facebook, a difference of 26.2%.



The IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark also reported real-time trends across four major retail categories this holiday season:



1.Department Stores: Cyber Monday online sales grew by 17.9% from 2013, with mobile%age of sales up 21.3%. Average order value was $146.07, a decrease of 9.7% year-over-year.



2.Health and Beauty: Cyber Monday online sales grew by 3.8% from 2013, with mobile%age of sales up 27.5%. Average order value was $57.94, a decrease of 3.8% year-over-year.



3.Home Goods: Cyber Monday online sales grew by 27.5% from 2013, with mobile%age of sales up 13.2%. Average order value was $247.56, an increase of 10.9% year-over-year.



4. Apparel: Cyber Monday online sales grew by 3.4% from 2013, with mobile%age of sales up 28.9%. Average order value was $100.67, a decrease of 2.1% year-over-year.



Transactional messages, or emails that are automatically triggered by a consumer's action like a purchase receipt or cart abandonment, increased 48% year-over-year. The median number of emails sent to consumers from retailers on Cyber Monday was two, remaining the same in 2014 compared to 2013. Open and click through rates on Cyber Monday were 12.8% and 2.2%, respectively. More than 46% of Cyber Monday emails were opened on mobile devices or tablets, versus 52% on desktops.



Comparing Cyber Monday to Black Friday, IBM found that Cyber Monday online sales were 30.5% higher than Black Friday in 2014. However, Black Friday shoppers spent an average of $129.37 per order, compared to $124.11 per order on Cyber Monday, a difference of 4.2%.



In addition, nobile traffic and sales decreased between Black Friday and Cyber Monday as consumers headed back to the office. Cyber Monday mobile sales were down 21.2%, and mobile traffic down 17%, compared to Black Friday.