By Telecom Lead Team: iPad is driving more retail
purchases than any other device in the U.S. with conversion rates
reaching 6.3 percent compared to 3.1 percent for all mobile devices, according
to cloud-based analytics findings by IBM.
The report also found that Apple’s iPhone and iPad ranked
one and two for mobile device retail traffic (5.2 percent and 4.3 percent
respectively). Whereas, Android was third at 4.1 percent.
14.6 percent of all online sessions on a retailer’s site
were initiated from a mobile device, more than double the rate of 5.6 percent
over this same period in 2010, says IBM Benchmark December holiday report.
Also, Sales from mobile devices doubled, reaching 11 percent versus 5.5 percent
in December 2010.
IBM’s findings follow a strong November where both Black
Friday 2011 and Cyber Monday 2011 delivered double-digit growth over 2010.
The U.S. online retail sector delivered 7.5 percent growth
in December 2011compared to the same period last year, says IBM.
Department stores in the U.S. continued to offer an
array of compelling deals. As a result, department stores online sales were up
18 percent over December 2010.
Home goods also reported a 15.6 percent increase in
sales over December with consumers continuing to shift their attention toward
the home.
“This past December consumers remained committed to
finding the best online deals whether through their PC or mobile device. By
employing a smarter approach to commerce, many retailers were successful in
helping to connect their customers with the best deals from anywhere and at any
time, even on Christmas Day where online shopping grew by 16.4
percent over 2010,” said John Squire, chief strategy officer, IBM Smarter
Commerce.
The IBM Benchmark December holiday report is a part
of IBM’s Smarter Commerce initiative that delivers software and services to
help companies transform their business processes to more quickly respond to
shifting customer demands in today’s digitally transformed marketplace.
