The trendlines — not to be confused with the weekend’s expanding waistlines! — are in, and changing shopping patterns, and evidence of a slowly recovering economy, were both apparent over the long holiday weekend.
Black Friday is, in the words of The Who, “goin’ mobile,” as one study showed that 52% of iPhone users and 41% of Android phonesters shopped via their mobile devices on Black Friday alone. This data may include mobile shopping that began on Thursday evening while still at home, according to eXelate, a data and analytics engine for digital advertisers.
Some marketers have suggested that rather than thinking of the weekend spree starting with the long 5 a.m. “door-busting” lines, it might actually kick off when pie-happy shoppers whip out their iPhones or Samsungs while watching the evening football game.
Purchasing was up for both weekends, though the increase of online shopping for “Cyber Monday” was up a substantial 29%, with people fini
shing their weekend sprees from computers and devices as they returned to work. However, the study also showed that mobile shopping, specifically, peaked on Black Friday, whereas laptops and more “traditional” gear was used on Cyber Monday.
The study also speculated that as online and mobile shopping become a larger and larger segment of both market share, and customers’ habits, the weekend may expand its traditional brick-and-mortar divisions, and become a large “Black Weekend,” with specials running and off line, throughout — a trend we’re already seeing.
But the trends we’ve been reporting here are also becoming clearer: As shoppers – and your customers — become increasingly comfortable shopping online, or with mobile devices (even while they may be standing in “brick-and-mortar” space, somewhere), you need to be prepared to meet them where they’re congregating. Even if that means they’re starting to shop during the Dallas game on Thanksgiving afternoon, with the screen in the palm of their hand.
AVPS can help you ramp up to process charges wherever, and however, your customers want to make them, and stay secure while you do it! Get ahold of us to today, to get ready for the holiday season ahead — and the “Black Weekend” coming next year!
