The time for thinking about using do-it-yourself themes and free website builders is over for anyone who is serious about making money online. Your business can no longer afford to avoid online marketing. Your future revenue depends on meeting consumers where they are.
These numbers might help you know how crucial customer-centric marketing online is. While most of the stats are from 2014 and before, they show a marked upward trend that online and mobile shopping are increasingly important in sales.
The Highlights of 2014 (marketingland)
- Holiday Sales generated $1.1 Trillion.
- Smartphones generated $12 billion in sales.
- E-Retail generated $252 billion in the U.S. alone.
- Cyber Monday Spending:
- 2005 = $484 million
- 2008 = $846 million
- 2010 = $1026 million
- 2012 = $1465 million
- “Holiday Shopping Goes Local” – 1 in 4 (28%) of holiday shoppers prefer shopping at a small business (57%).
- Households with over $100k annual income are more likely to shop local (66%).
- In January, The Wall Street Journal reported that foot traffic to retail outlets in November and December plunged from 38 billion in 2010 to 17 billion in 2013. But, retail sales for that same period increased from $681 to $783 billion.
Consumer Behavior and Shopping Trends
The consumer mindset has changed, consumers expect you to go to them and they want to make purchases using their smartphone.
- 65% of shoppers start their research on a mobile phone.
- 81% of smartphone users are impulse shoppers, making instant and spontaneous purchases.
- 58% of PC or Laptop users will make a decision to buy without going into a store.
- 41% of mobile purchases are made while the consumers are at home.
Media and Devices Used To Make a Purchase
- The number of average wireless shoppers that conduct 7 wireless related queries up by 82%.
- 1 in 5 wireless shoppers watch a video before making a purchase.
- 79% of purchasers who watched a video clicked through.
- 4 out of 10 people who watched a video went to the store.
- 80% of mobile device usage is dedicated to apps vs mobile web browsers.
- According to an IBM report, the average order placed on a mobile Apple iOS device was $121.48, compared to just $89 for Android devices. (Money.com)
Mobile Commerce
- Mobile commerce was expected to generate $34.2 billion by the end of 2014, up from $21 billion in 2012.
- Online consumers spend 15% hours researching on mobile sites and apps.
- Local Mobile is becoming the most popular way for consumers to find retail outlets and services.
- 71% of smartphone users use the store locators.
Apps and Mobile friendly websites that save money and energy increases customer loyalty and engagement. Consumer centric websites with customer loyalty features increase return visits and visits to the retail outlet.
2014 Holiday Shopping Trends
(Google Data, Indexed Search Query Volume, USA)
- Q4 2013 – mobile accounted for 35% of online traffic. (IBM Digital Analytics Benchmarks, 2014)
- December sales increased three times from 2011 to 2014.
- 52% of online smartphone shoppers use their phones to make shopping choices (Google/Ipsos MediaCT, 2014)
- 40% of Black Friday’s online shopping was via smart phone (Custora, 2014)
- 29% of shoppers start shopping before Halloween
- 48% start holiday shopping in December
Those that haven’t been focusing on local SEO and local internet marketing have been losing local sales on this trend since 2008. It’s time to optimize your local business online. Act now in preparation for next year’s holiday season; remember sustainable results in online marketing occur over time.
Contact us to see how we can help your business optimize for local and mobile sales.