Study – Omnichannel retailers win Cyber Week; growing demand for in-store pickup

San Luis Obispo, Calif. - Omnichannel retailers that provide cross-channel offers to their customers are the big winners emerging from this year’s “Cyber Week.” Data from Shopatron shows that forcing customers into buying frenzies on specific days is losing favor, and that retailers who focus on meeting cross-channel consumer demand with ever increasing levels of service are realizing the benefits.



This year’s Cyber Week saw growing demand for in-store pickup, experiencing heavy traffic Monday through Wednesday, until retailers abandoned store fulfillment in favor of managing Black Friday store operations and doorbusters. Shopatron found that the rate of in-store pickup orders during the week leading up to Thanksgiving was 3.5 times higher than aggregate in-store pickup rates for the five days spanning Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday. In-store pickup transactions peaked on Monday, Nov. 24, representing 15% of total orders. After Thanksgiving, Shopatron saw a 700% decline in in-store pickup, illustrating an unbalanced match of supply and demand.



The rise in smartphone usage once again fueled the biggest online shopping holiday period demonstrating the convenience of cross-channel shopping, with consumers specifically developing confidence in larger mobile transactions. According to Shopatron, the average order value originating from mobile transactions advanced significantly in comparison to desktop transactions, maintaining a growth rate throughout the five-day weekend twice as as much as the growth rate of order values from desktop purchases. Additional mobile commerce figures from Cyber Week include:



• Black Friday’s average order value of mobile orders increased 51%, while desktop average order value grew 35%.

• Desktop ecommerce remains the preferred channel for high-ticket purchases, with mobile average order values hanging 9% below desktop orders on Black Friday.



Mobile traffic on Black Friday represented 47% of total traffic, while mobile sales accounted for only 30% of overall Black Friday sales.