Three-quarters of consumers plan to use their mobile for holiday shopping this year
According to a new survey, 82 percent plan to spend the same amount or more on holiday spending as compared to last year, while just 18 percent plan on scaling back and spending less.
Location-based marketing platform Retale has announced the results of a commissioned study examining anticipated consumer shopping behavior during the busy holiday season. The study focused on two key areas — the use of mobile devices and overall spending trends. It polled 1,000 adult men and women across the U.S. between Oct. 20 and Oct. 27, 2014.
According to the survey, 82 percent plan to spend the same amount or more on holiday spending as compared to last year, while just 18 percent plan on scaling back and spending less.
Twenty-five percent prefer to get a head start on their gift buying by shopping year round, while 60 percent wait until November; 31 percent start shopping “around November 1st” with 29 percent waiting until the day after Thanksgiving. Fifteen percent wait until the last minute to do their shopping.
When asked where they would do their shopping, 22 percent said online only, 24 percent said brick-and-mortar retail stores only, and 54 percent said they would shop both online and in-store.
Top mobile shopping activities
Among those owning a mobile device, 73 percent plan to use them for holiday shopping, with the most common mobile shopping activities of those users being finding deals (97 percent); comparing prices (96 percent); researching products (96 percent); accessing coupons (92 percent); finding stores (89 percent); and buying directly from the device (85 percent).
On average, 60 percent of these activities take place both in and out of stores as mobile devices are increasingly used to support both experiences, the report found.
| MOBILE ACTIVITY | IN-STORE | OUT-OF-STORE | BOTH |
| Find deals | 8 percent | 20 percent | 69 percent |
| Compare prices | 11 percent | 18 percent | 67 percent |
| Research online |
8 percent | 27 percent | 61 percent |
| Access coupons | 14 percent | 16 percent | 62 percent |
| Find store locations | 12 percent | 26 percent | 51 percent |
| Buy directly from device | 9 percent | 30 percent | 46 percent |
Smartphone versus tablet
When asked what kind of device — smartphone or tablet — they prefer for mobile shopping activities, respondents indicated the smartphone is the dominant format. On average, 47 percent prefer using a smartphone for shopping activities, with just 32 percent opting for a tablet.
| MOBILE ACTIVITY | Smartphone | Tablet |
| Find deals | 48 percent | 33 percent |
| Compare prices | 47 percent | 35 percent |
| Research products online | 41 percent | 42 percent |
| Access coupons | 48 percent | 26 percent |
| Find store locations | 61 percent | 21 percent |
| Buy directly from device | 36 percent | 33 percent |
Android versus iPhone
Of all mobile device owners polled, more than half (52 percent) were Android users, followed by Apple/iOS (37 percent), Windows (5 percent), and BlackBerry (3 percent).
Other findings relative to device choice include:
- Apple users (89 percent) are more likely to buy directly from their devices than Android users (85 percent).
- Android users (51 percent) prefer mobile shopping on a smartphone more than Apple users (48 percent).
- Apple users (86 percent) are more likely to spend the same amount or more on holiday spending this year than Android users (80 percent).