A Merry Christmas For Mobile Commerce?

By Matt Pillar, chief editor

New research released by CFI Group last week indicates that this is going to be a breakout quarter for e- and m-commerce. Considering that the 45% of consumers who said they’d spend 40 percent or more of their holiday gift-giving budgets online in 2013 has swelled to 51 percent this year, and nearly a third will spend more than half of their holiday budgets online in 2014, it appears consumers continue to embrace the channel.

The news is even better for retailers with mature mobile engagement strategies. Last year, just 59 percent of consumers participating in CFI Group’s holiday spending report made a retail purchase on their smart phone in the six months prior to taking the survey. This year, that figure expanded to 71 percent. What’s more, the percentage of consumers planning to make more purchases using their mobile devices this year grew 4 points to 56 percent.

But are you ready to accommodate the clear consumer penchant for mobile and e-commerce?

The answer to that question can be found by taking  hard look at the focus of your mobile strategy. According to the research, most retailers’ mobile and e-commerce sites remain focused on the transaction, as opposed to what consumers really want from the digital brand experience. This year, consumers will use mobile applications predominantly for online price comparisons (60 percent), local store price comparisons (63 percent), and to access reviews and recommendations (up to 52 percent from just 44 percent last year).

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