Smartphone shopping dominated holiday season

NEW YORK — During the 2011 holiday season, the top retail applications and websites combined — including Amazon, Best Buy, eBay, Target and Walmart — reached nearly 60% of smartphone owners, according to Nielsen.

“The majority of smartphone owners used their devices for shopping this past holiday season,” said John Burbank, president of strategic initiatives at Nielsen. “Mobile shopping has reached scale and is only going to grow as smartphone penetration continues to rise.”

Nielsen’s metering of the smartphones of 5,000 U.S. volunteers participating in Nielsen’s mobile research also revealed the following:

Smartphone owners of both genders prefer retailers’ mobile websites over mobile apps, with men slightly more likely to try retailers’ mobile apps than women. However, consumers who use retailers’ mobile apps tend to spend more time on them.

Target and Walmart skewed female when it comes to their mobile websites, while Best Buy skewed male. Amazon and eBay appealed to both genders.

All of the top five mobile retail websites experienced a “bump” during the days leading up to and following Black Friday, led by Amazon. This seasonal lift, however, did not translate into an increase in regular usage. By January, active reach was back to October 2011 levels.

“Retailers need to think of their business as a multichannel environment that can potentially include mobile, online, and brick-and-mortar stores,” Burbank said. “Winning with shoppers requires a consistent experience across channels that reinforces the values you represent as a retail brand, whether it be price, service, reviews, selection, style, or other key attributes.”