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How the mobile holiday shopping boom benefits stores

by | Dec 12, 2019 | Marketing, Public Relations

Twenty-five percent of online shoppers plan to use a smartphone for holiday shopping, and they are more likely than those who use other devices to buy online and pick up in store (BOPUS), according to insights from the newly released 2019 Holiday Purchase Intentions Survey from The NPD Group. Smaller mobile screens have been taking on more of the shopping workload in recent years, growing from just 19 percent two years ago—and this actually can be a positive thing for physical retail stores.

“The consumer’s adoption of mobile shopping can lead them to the store, where most impulse spending takes place,” said Marshal Cohen, chief industry advisor at The NPD Group, in a news release. “This further demonstrates the importance of a seamless retail approach in keeping up with today’s retail environment, especially during the competitive holiday shopping season.”

Here’s how the mobile holiday shopping boom benefits stores

The division between online and in-store shopping continues to blur as the consumer looks for more ease and flexibility in their holiday shopping experience. More than three-quarters of consumers will shop online this holiday season, and one out of every five online purchases will be picked up in the store.

Beyond shopping, both brick and click retailers can benefit from other smartphone conveniences the consumer is embracing while on the go and in stores. Twenty-two percent of consumers say they used an app to pay for holiday purchases in the store last year, and 39 percent of those consumers plan to use apps more often during the upcoming holiday season.

Here’s how the mobile holiday shopping boom benefits stores

“Larger screen, desk-based options (laptops and desktops) meet the consumer’s needs to navigate and comparison shop today’s robust product assortments,” said Stephen Baker, vice president and industry advisor for The NPD Group, in the release. “However, mobile shopping continues to gain traction as phone screens expand and retailer apps become more adept at offering the quick transaction experience consumers are looking for, wherever they are.”

The Holiday Purchase Intentions Survey is designed to understand consumers’ shopping and spending intentions for the upcoming holiday season. An online survey was fielded to members of The NPD Group’s online consumer panel in September 2019. The survey was fielded to a U.S. representative sample. The results of 3,485 completed surveys are presented in this report.

Richard Carufel
Richard Carufel is editor of Bulldog Reporter and the Daily ’Dog, one of the web’s leading sources of PR and marketing communications news and opinions. He has been reporting on the PR and communications industry for over 17 years, and has interviewed hundreds of journalists and PR industry leaders. Reach him at richard.carufel@bulldogreporter.com; @BulldogReporter

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