Retailer Daily

Half of Holiday Shoppers Use Mobile Devices

Slightly more than half of consumers, 51%, across 11 countries including the U.S. used mobile phones [download page] for in-store activities such as comparison shopping and getting peer feedback, product information and coupons, during the 2009 holiday shopping season. According to the Motorola 2009 Retail Holiday Season Shopper Study, that number increased to 64% among Generation Y shoppers ages 18-34. Study results also indicate that customers did not only benefit from their own mobile devices. Fifty-nine percent of consumers said they had a better shopping experience when store associates used two-way radios, and 56% said they had a better shopping experience when store associates used mobile computers.

Lack of Mobile Coupons and Discounts Hurts Retailers

According to the study, 39% of consumers were willing to abandon purchases if they could not obtain coupons or discounts. In North America, consumers left an average of $109 unspent during the 2009 holiday season due to stores' limited merchandise, lack of availability of coupons and/or discounts and inconsistent customer service. Nearly 40% of surveyed shoppers abandoned the purchase altogether, a significant increase from 2008 when 20% abandoned a purchase under those circumstances. The study shows the majority of abandoned purchases could have been recovered, including 54% of abandoned purchases in consumer electronics retailers, 46% in clothing stores and 42% in auto parts stores, if coupons or discounts were more readily available. As an example of mobile couponing initiatives in the U.S., Safeway supermarket banners including Tom Thumb and Randalls participate in the Cellfire mobile coupon network, allowing members of the two chains’ loyalty club programs to automatically download coupons on their loyalty cards. In addition, department store retailer JCPenney began piloting a new mobile coupon program at select stores in the Houston, Texas area in September 2009. The pilot, which also uses Cellfire technology, allows customers to download and carry coupons on their mobile phones that can be scanned directly from the phone’s display screen at the register. New imaging scanners capable of reading these 2-D barcode coupons have been deployed at point-of-sale registers in 16 JCPenney stores in the Houston metro area.

Deloitte Study Supports Mobile Holiday Shopping Popularity in U.S.

Before the start of the 2009 holiday shopping season, research firm Deloitte released its 24th Annual Holiday Survey. Among the survey’s findings were predictions that 19% of consumers planned to access the internet via their mobile phones while shopping to find store locations, obtain coupons and sales information, as well as research products and prices. This percentage rose to 39% in the 18 to 29 age group. Motorola conducted a survey of 4,534 shoppers age 18 -65 from November 25 -December 20, 2009 through research partners e-Rewards and TNS International. This included 2,082 U.S. respondents and 216 Canadian respondents.