Post date: Dec 03, 2013 1:29:57 AM
R Reports - Forget Cyber Monday- it's mobile Monday.
Mobile traffic surged on Monday- up more than 60 percent compared to last year- mobile sales were more than 16 percent of all online sales.
Flash sale site Rue La La's CEO Steve Davis was having a very good day:
STEVE DAVIS, CEO, RUE LA LA "Cyber Monday is huge for all of us in e-commerce, and if last year is any indication, this year will be our biggest day of the holiday season. We have gotten off to a tremendous start in the first sort of hours of Cyber Monday. And we expect that pace to continue and to have our biggest day in history as well as our biggest day in the holiday season right here today."
He said more than half of their sales each day since Thanksgiving have been onmobile devices- mainly iPhones- meaning consumers were on the go.
Being good at mobile is everything for retailers this holiday season says Jill Puleriof IBM:
JILL PULERI, GLOBAL INDUSTRY LEADER FOR RETAIL, IBM
"The retailers that are winning are the ones that you can access their site from amobile device. As a matter of fact, smart phones are the ones that are doing all of the browsing but tablets are where you are buying. So if you can see a site on yourmobile device you are doing pretty good."
No surprise then that smartphones drove more than 20 percent of all online e-commerce traffic- about double that of tablets. But, more sales are actually completed on tablets- where consumers also spent more.
E-commerce retailers are also getting better at keeping up with their customers on the go:
Forrester Research's Denee Carrington:
DENEE CARRINGTON, ANALYST, FORRESTER RESEARCH
"Marketers can certainly leverage location based services to engage with consumers when they are nearby their businesses, so if they have the app, then the merchants app on the phone, then it certainly makes it easier to do so because it can be triggered to notify the consumer when they are nearby of deals and offers that are happening."
Another trend: high-end shoppers are clicking more often- and at higher price points.
STEVE DAVIS, CEO, RUE LA LA
"There is no question that the consumer continues to get more comfortable buying new and different products on their mobile device, and so this year for us and in particular over this four-day holiday weekend, luxury fashion apparel with very high price points price points up until $20,000 price points actually were transacted onmobile devices this holiday weekend."
That $20,000 sale by the way was for a vintage Louis Vuitton handbag.