Survey: Mobile and Internet Shopping Replacing Traditional and Catalog
Deck the halls, unless you’re in the malls. A survey released Nov. 30 by Greenfield Online and mobile content and solutions provider Motricity shows that 83% of consumers plan to use the Internet and mobile devices to buy holiday gifts, indicating a shift in consumer buying habits from traditional retail and catalog shopping.
Motricity says the findings are consistent with a similar survey conducted in the United Kingdom, in which 77% of respondents said they will use the Internet and/or a mobile device to shop during Christmas. The results also complement “Cyber Monday” figures released Nov. 29: Traffic at online shopping sites was 15% higher on so-called Cyber Monday compared with on Black Friday, according to Nielsen/NetRatings.
“Our research indicates that more people than ever will be shopping online this Christmas and that the clear winners will be the retailers who have managed to make the most of their online presence and become truly multichannel,” Ryan Wuerch, chairman/ CEO of Durham, NC-based Motricity, said in a statement.
Other survey findings include:
- Almost 40% of respondents said Internet and mobile shopping have replaced other shopping means, confirming an emerging trend that mobile devices are becoming the new storefront.
- 60% of respondents plan to spend up to $200 on goods and services via mobile devices or online during the Christmas season, compared with 45% who will purchase the same amount in retail stores
- 50% of respondents said they tend to go to different stores and brands when shopping online, which could result in a loss of consumer traffic for brick-and-mortar retailers during the Christmas shopping season.
- 53% of respondents said they would use online and mobile shopping even more if they could accumulate loyalty points and other various discounts, while 34% of respondents are already enrolled in personalized loyalty and rewards programs.
“Mobile shopping is just catching on in the U.S., and there is tremendous opportunity for content providers and wireless carriers to take advantage of this new distribution channel,” Wuerch said.
