The FINANCIAL -- Holiday shoppers were more likely
than ever this year to whip out their smartphones for some mobile
assistance, according to research.
When a GfK Roper poll conducted for agency SapientNitro asked smartphone owners how they used their devices for holiday shopping, higher percentages said yes to every activity queried than did so last year.
More than eight in 10 smartphone owners researched and browsed for products on their phone, up 15 percentage points from 2011, and nearly three-quarters bought something via mobile, up 19 percentage points.
These increases also come as smartphone ownership overall has increased. emarketer estimates that nearly 116 million US consumers had a smartphone in 2012, vs. 93.1 million in 2011. So higher percentages of smartphone owners doing any given activity are amplified by the fact that the overall base of smartphone owners is larger as well.
Motorola Solutions also queried holiday shoppers about their mobile habits this December, specifically about what they were doing in-store. Age played a major role in shoppers’ likelihood of participating in every mobile shopping activity, with millennials leading the way. As emarketer Inc. announced, nearly two-thirds of 18- to 34-year-olds reported using their mobile phone for shopping this holiday season, and almost half said this made their phone a faster resource for accessing information than asking a store associate.
As ever more consumers adopt smartphones, holiday shopping is likely to get only more mobile. The SapientNitro/GfK Roper survey asked all consumers, not just smartphone owners, how retailers could make the in-store shopping experience better for next year’s holiday season. More than half wanted exclusive offers delivered in-store to mobile devices. Among smartphone owners, in-store navigation on their phones and mobile payments were also popular.
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