IBM: Online spending rises Father’s Day week

Armonk, N.Y. – Overall U.S. online retail sales for the week leading up to Father’s Day (June 9-15) were up more than 14% from the same period in 2013. According to the cloud-based IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark, Father's Day average order value was $119.37.



Mobile traffic accounted for more than 38% of all online traffic, up more than 26% compared to the same period in 2013. Mobile sales saw strong growth, up more than 37%, reaching nearly 19% of all online sales. Smartphones drove 24.8% of all online traffic compared to tablets at 12.8%. However, tablets drove 12.2% of all online sales while smartphones accounted for nearly half of that at 6.4%. Tablet users also averaged $106.71 per order, compared to smartphone users, who averaged $89.55 per order.



As a percentage of total online sales, iOS was almost four and a half times higher than Android, driving 15.217% compared to 3.4% for Android. On average, iOS users spent $103.85 per order compared to $73.08 for Android users, a difference of 42%. iOS also led as a component of overall traffic with 25.6% compared to 12.3% for Android.



Shoppers referred from Facebook averaged $99.43 per order, compared to Pinterest referrals, which drove $142.75 per order. However, Facebook referrals converted sales at a rate more than four times that of Pinterest referrals, perhaps indicating stronger confidence in network recommendations.



The IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark also reported real-time trends across three major retail categories for Father's Day purchases:



Department Stores: Father's Day total online sales grew by 30.5% from the same period last year, with mobile sales growing by 29% year over year.



Home Goods: Father's Day total online sales grew by 21.4% from the same period last year, with mobile sales growing by 25% year over year.



Apparel: Father's Day total online sales grew by 13.5% from the same period last year, with mobile sales growing by more than 42% year over year.