More than one-half (55.3%) of mobile device owners plan to use a smartphone or tablet for holiday shopping this year, to research products, make purchases, find brick-and-mortar stores, or assist with other shopping tasks, according to a new survey from Prosper Mobile Insights.
Among those 55.3% of "mobile holiday shoppers":
- 61.9% say they plan to use their device primarily as a "mobile mall," purchasing products and comparing prices.
- 49.6% say they are most likely to use their device during the planning and research stages of holiday shopping.
- 42.6% say they are most likely to use their device while shopping in stores or online.
Below, additional findings from the study by Prosper Mobile Insights, based on a poll of 333 smartphone and tablet users in October 2012.
Most mobile holiday shoppers plan to use their devices to compare prices between brick-and-mortar stores (66.0%) or online retailers (59.7%), while nearly one-half (48.1%) plan to tap into product reviews and rating to compare products:
As the holiday shopping season approaches, mobile holiday shoppers will likely focus on a few key product categories, and they cite the following as those they're most likely to research via mobile device:
- Electronics: 69.1%
- Clothing or clothing accessories: 50.4%
- Books/CDs/DVDs, Blu-Ray/video games: 45.7%
- Toys: 44.9%