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Did you venture out on Black Friday? I did, visiting the local mall just before midnight on Thursday and then another mall on Friday.
Parking at both places was a nightmare, and the malls were swarming with masses of people everywhere. I happened by an Apple store, which more closely resembled a tin of sardines than a retail store, and had to be in danger of violating fire codes.
Shopping at home from the couch was a much safer and saner option, which many Americans opted for. While the majority of shoppers stuck to computers and laptops, 10.2 percent of Black Friday bargain hunters used their iPhones and their iPads to make online purchases.
The iPad made up 4.8 percent of all online shopping in the U.S., while the iPhone accounted for 5.6 percent. Android has a larger marketshare, with more people owning Android-based phones and devices than iPhones and iPads, but only 4.1 percent of Android owners used their devices to shop online.
These numbers are courtesy of a study hosted by IBM, which was released earlier today. According to the information, almost no other platforms besides Android and iOS were used to make purchases, and the two were collectively used to make 14.3 percent of online purchases. Overall, that statistic is two and a half times greater than last year, when only 5.6 percent of orders were placed with mobile devices.
Consumers who did their shopping on an iPad were more likely to purchase items, with a 4.6 percent conversion rate compared to a 2.8 percent conversion rate for other mobile devices. Mobile users were far more decisive than laptop and computer users, and knew exactly what they wanted without lingering on websites. There was a 41.3 percent bounce rate (leaving a website) versus a 33.1 percent rate for other online shoppers.
Online sales in general were up 24.3 percent this year, with many more consumers unwilling to brave the after-dinner early-morning shopping frenzy. This increase in mobile sales can likely be attributed to the fact that more of us own smart phones that are able to load websites and apps quickly and efficiently, and the disdain for an over-crowded, rushed shopping experience. Did you do your Black Friday shopping online or in-store this year? Did you order anything from your iPhone or iPad? Let us know in the comments.
[Graphic Image - courtesy of IBM]
via : Padgadget