That is up 9 percent from previous year.
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While many of those that “window shop” on their phones don’t buy, mobile sales are expected to jump to 36.1 percent of online sales.
IBM – which tracks sales across thousands of websites in the US – is publishing real-time numbers tracking how people are buying online and so far the indications seem to be of strong online sales. In its “2015 Holiday Shopping Predictions” report issued earlier, Adobe Digital Index predicted that Americans will spend an upward of $83 billion online this holiday season, representing the biggest share of annual sales and the highest online sales in history.
Shoppers didn’t wait for the stores to open on Black Friday.
“It’s very convenient”, Seth Reineke, 25, an insurance worker from Iowa City, Iowa, told AP.
Overall, the period is projected to bring in between $70 billion $95 billion in e-commerce sales. Mobile sales are expected to total 20 to 25 per cent of total online sales, up from 16 per cent past year. For the first time on Thanksgiving Day, mobile phones dominated the online traffic, accounting for 57 percent of online visits, according to the Adobe Digital Index’s Friday report.
“This season, consumers are looking for a mobile app that is a holiday shopping companion, rather than simply a way to buy things as they would on a laptop”, said Kelly Askew, Managing Director, Retail Strategy at Accenture.
Mobile shoppers are spending $12.35 more per order than they did a year ago, with the average order up almost 11% to $125.69. It says that just under 28% of all sales are being made on mobile devices. Adobe predicts mobile will drive the majority of shopping traffic, 51 per cent, for the first time on Thanksgiving Day. Seventy-one percent of heavy mobile users said convenience was the most important aspect of the mobile retail experience.
Meanwhile, Thanksgiving Day shopping has grown in popularity as retailers have expanded Black Friday store sales from Friday into Thursday.
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The holiday shopping season, formerly centered around Black Friday – which is expected to hit a record $2.7 billion in sales – has in recent years expanded to include Cyber Monday ($3 billion in sales expected) and even Thanksgiving day ($1.6 billion expected sales).
