Holiday Shopping Season gets boost from Mobile & Social in 2009

A recent study published by Deloitte shows that 17% of adult shoppers say they will use social media in some aspect of their holiday shopping, and 19% will rely on their mobile phones. That means if you’re checking your list, you are likely being aided by through social and mobile media.

The survey — part of Deloitte’s 24th Annual Holiday Survey, a poll of more than 10,000 adults in the U.S — says that of the nearly 1 in 5 plan to use social media sites. Of that group, 60% say they will do so to find sales, discounts, and coupons; 53% intend to use sites like MySpace and Facebook to research gift ideas, and 52% say they will check the wish lists of friends and family.

While young people certainly have greater amounts of social-media savvy than more grizzled consumers (52% of those in the 18-29 group will use social media to shop), interest is relatively strong among other age groups. In the 30 to 44 age bracket, 33% will use social media as a shopping tool, and in the 45 to 60 age group, 10% plan to do so.

Also revealed in this study is that of the shoppers who plan to use their smartphones, 55% say they rely on their devices for a mobile store locator, 45% to research lowest prices, 40% to find general product information, 32% to get mobile coupons and 31% to find reviews. And this year, 25% of consumers say they will also use their phone to make a digital purchase.

The Deloitte study also found strong interest in shopping online, with 22% of respondents vowing to shop primarily via the Web, and 44% planning to use coupons they find on the Internet. It also found plenty of evidence that consumers love the luxury of shopping through multiple channels. About 78% say they have made an in-store purchase after viewing the product at a store’s Web site, for example, and 65% have done the reverse — seen an item in-store, then gone home, done some more research and purchased it online.

These trends will play out as retailer rush to distribute and promote their iPhone Apps geared toward gift buying and to move customers toward signup of offers and specials throughout the holiday through us of proximity marketing and mobile alerts. The reality is that mcommerce is here.And QWASI helps get you there.

QWASI takes retail mobile.
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October 30, 2009 in Blog   |   No Comments