Over 20% of Online Black Friday Sales Came From Mobile Devices 201
cagraham writes "According to IBM's latest Data Benchmark report, 21.8% of all online Black Friday sales were made from mobile devices. Mobile traffic, meanwhile, accounted for 39.7% of all Black Friday traffic. Interestingly, iOS users accounted for 18.1% of online sales, while Android users accounted for just 3.5%. The data come from IBM's real-time monitoring over 800 U.S. online retailers. The report also notes that tablets generated less traffic than smartphones, but accounted for almost twice the number of sales. Overall, online sales for Black Friday grew 18.9% year-over-year."
Get offa my lawn! (Score:5, Funny)
I would never buy Christmas gifts over smartphone surfing. I guess I'm just old school and like the hustle and bustle of leisurely picking through products and buying at my nice, large computer screen.
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I only used the PC, as I only have a work supplied blackberry, and I decided not to buy anything. I suppose I need to order a couple of gifts this week though.
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I now wait for the obligatory "Dur slashdotters dont have girlfriends" comment.
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I actually purchased something for my girlfriend using my smart phone. ...found one ...that met the needed specs...
Ugh, a gift that needed to meet specs?!
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Sure, if you're comparison shopping.
But if Aunt Jennie sends you a link to what Cousin Frankie wants exactly, no need to be in front of a computer. 30 seconds at a stop light and Xmas shopping is done for Frankie!
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If Aunt Jennie sends you a link to what Cousin Frankie needs, just find it on Amazon (or whatever specialty retailer carries it) and have it shipped, already giftwrapped, straight to Frankie's door. No need to roll out of bed that day. Leave the stop light for chumps.
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Did I really have to specify that the link was already an amazon link?
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No need to roll out of bed that day. Leave the stop light for chumps.
Some of us do need to work, or otherwise leave mom's basement for the day.
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Some of us get to work from home two+ days a week. And/or do all their weekly shopping on the weekends.
Probably not accurate (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Probably not accurate (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes, I'm sure that's a huge percentage of the traffic.
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Daisy, Daisy...
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Some of my android based tablets and phone are using browsers with a user agent that reports as an ipad
Can you clarify if that was something you set up yourself, or whether they are coming like that from the developer?
More Accurate Findings (Score:2)
Scientists confirmed that when IOS and Android users purchased the same items, at the same store, the IOS users still accounted for 28% more revenue.
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Cyber Monday? (Score:3)
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Only as long as they keep offering discounts tied to that particular Monday.
So you're saying (Score:4, Informative)
So you're saying iOS users are suckers with too much money to burn. :P
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There's such a thing as too much?
Re:So you're saying (Score:5, Insightful)
Slashdot thanks for taking the flamebait... that's their bread and butter.
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*sigh* iOS devices are more expensive to begin with. iOS users obviously have more money to spend than brains. It has nothing to do with the quality of the device, and everything to do with being willing to be gouged.
Re: So you're saying (Score:4, Insightful)
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Really? The last time I looked at Verizon's site both the high end HTC and Samsung models were going for the same as an iPhone 5s with contract. I could see your point if it was without contract even though the Samsung was only 50 dollars cheaper but let's be honest, the vast majority of smartphone users on Verizon are under a contract.
Even with all that included I guess by your metric if someone is driving a car that isn't a Nissan Versa they're just suckers
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iOS devices are more expensive to begin with.
Really? The last time I looked at Verizon's site both the high end HTC and Samsung models were going for the same as an iPhone 5s with contract. I could see your point if it was without contract even though the Samsung was only 50 dollars cheaper but let's be honest, the vast majority of smartphone users on Verizon are under a contract.
Erm, trying to obfuscate it doesn't help.
Samsung phones are expensive, but still cheaper than Iphones so this is simply Verizon stuffing their pockets.
If you want to buy an unlocked Iphone in the US it costs significantly more because they have to be EU imports.
Apple Iphone 5S 16 GB = $960. [expansys-usa.com]
Samsung Galaxy S4 16GB = $600 [expansys-usa.com]
Even though the SGS is also an EU import as well, it's over $350 cheaper. And the new cheaper Iphone 5C is still $700, making it $100 more expensive than the top of the line Samsu
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My Sony Z1 cost £30 more than my iPhone 5 did the previous year (both bought unsubsidised). Even accounting for inflation, it still works out more in real terms.
Based on this true anecdote, let's reverse your statement and see how ridiculous it sounds.
*sigh* Android devices are more expensive to begin with. Android users obviously have more money to spend than brains. It has nothing to do with the quality of the device, and everything to do with being willing to be gouged.
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My Sony Z1 cost £30 more than my iPhone 5 did the previous year (both bought unsubsidised). Even accounting for inflation, it still works out more in real terms.
Based on this true anecdote, let's reverse your statement and see how ridiculous it sounds.
Really,
Iphone 5C = GBP 469 [expansys.com]
Sony Xperia Z1 = GBP 419 [expansys.com]
All you've demonstrated is that you overpaid for the Z1.
A high end Android phone is cheaper than a low end Apple device.
*sigh* iOS devices are more expensive to begin with. iOS users obviously have more money to spend than brains. It has nothing to do with the quality of the device, and everything to do with being willing to be gouged.
Fixed (again).
riots (Score:2)
And in other news, rioting at stores decreased by 21%.
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And in other news, rioting at stores decreased by 21%.
Which is a real bummer for me - my favorite part of Black Friday is Red Saturday, when I sit around watching videos and news reports of all the fights that broke out over Tickle-Me-Elmo, or whatever the duke-it-out toy is this year.
Damn iPhone, ruining my schadenfreude....
whence good old traditional values? (Score:2)
Walmart, and the other retailers, shouldn't be forcing their employees to come in and work in a madhouse like that on Thanksgiving day.
These people should be at home with their families, beating them up.
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This disgusts me.
Walmart, and the other retailers, shouldn't be forcing their employees to come in and work in a madhouse like that on Thanksgiving day.
These people should be at home with their families, beating them up.
Um... I was talking about Black Friday, not Turkey Thursday.
Regardless, I wholeheartedly agree.
What does this mean? (Score:3, Funny)
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You are close to the point :)
Considering as some pointed out that I OS devices are usually more expensive than others, the iOS users need to spent much more time online shopping to down to the same price in $/h spent shopping. So if my iPad costed 4 times as much as your Andriod pad, I have to spent 4 times as much time online. Obviously that leads to more items bought as I find it difficult to resist all the nice stuff I find in shops.
Someone is saying Black Friday was up 20%?? (Score:2)
I really really doubt that. More likely it was down about 20% in un-inflated dollars.
Up *online* (Score:2)
Combine this with some reports that in-store shopping was down (even if including the days prior) and it may suggest that more people are moving to shopping online than in-store, not that revenue overall is up.
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Inflation has been very low (and even negative at times) post the global financial crisis. Without some form of government intervention, it would have stayed negative, too, because deleveraging would have continued. However, with quantitative easing forcing short-term interest rates to the zero lower bound, private debt has started increasing again. And increasing private debt means increasing consumer spending.
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I think that is wrong. While leverage does equal inflation to some degree, it does apply force that drives work to continue to meet debt obligations. The QE has replaced that form of inflation with a much worse kind of inflation. It turns the economy into a game of who can hold their breath the longest. Everybody loses and its a stupid game to begin with. And more people going into debt does not necessarily mean that more people are spending beyond their means and living lavishly. It means that
IBM knows this how? (Score:3)
IBM calls it "cloudbased analytics" in it's report but I find it a bit creepy that IBM has data from "800 US retail websites". I suppose just counting request headers on a reverse proxy could do it, but having data from Pinterest and Facebook, as well as how many push notifications retailers sent, seems beyond simple methods.
CC in a phone? (Score:2)
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Storing, absolutely. But why is it any less secure to enter the info into the browser of a phone than any other web browser in existence? You know, the people who have the technology to sniff an LTE or HSPA data connection are either not interested in something as mundane as your credit card number and/or they already have it.
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You mean that data that is stamped onto a plastic card in the clear in the wallet that is probably right next to said cell phone if someone robs you? The little card that people hand over freely to low paid waitstaff at a restaurant who might disappear for 5-6 minutes with your card out of sight? The card that is inserted into dozens of public card readers that might have a skimmer on them over the course of a week? Face it, the entire state of CC numbers is insanity from a security perspective (a single
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I never understood why people think it's a good idea to enter (or even worse, store) credit card info in a phone. That's the height of stupidity, in my opinion.
It's no less secure than your PC. Actually, the average Joe's automatically-updated iPhone is probably more likely to be free of malware than his Windows PC.
It is also a lot easier to steal Joe's iPhone than it is to break into his apartment and run away with his desktop PC ;-)
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It may be easier, but in general, newer devices prompt the user to set up some form of authentication.
The PC is harder to grab, but usually Joe doesn't have BitLocker or FileVault enabled, so slurping data consists of just booting from other media and copying off files in the home directory. With a Mac, Joe might have Find iPhone enabled, but if the computer doesn't have an Internet connection, the kill/lock signal wouldn't reach it.
The phone or tablet, if locked, will disable itself after a few guesses, o
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You mean pick up Joe's iPhone {or android} after he drops it or forgets it on the table in a restaurant. He set up a password on it but it's not locked {he turned it off to watch a movie cause he doesn't really know how to use the phone} and everything auto logs in for you. {of course his PC is no better but he doesn't carry it around with him everyday and loose it all the time}
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I have a passcode on my phone. It doesn't allow data transfer off of the unit until that passcode is entered. After 10 incorrect attempts, bye-bye data.
That being said, even if they get to my pictures or personal text messages, there really isn't fuck all they can do with them. I don't take nude selfies, I don't deal in illegal materials, I rarely even have risque conversations with my girlfriend. Why not?
Because keeping anything you don't want the whole world to see on ANY internet co
Sad that we know that much already (Score:2)
So which company is reporting to whom about who did what on Cyber Monday or Black Friday, or any F---'in day? Is this how much every aspect of our lives is being tracked that in merely a few days we know this statistic at all, regardless of accuracy?
Augh....
Native Apps vs HTML5 (Score:2)
Price Checking (Score:4, Insightful)
Not what I thought (Score:2)
Heh. At first, I misinterpreted the headline as meaning that 20% of online Black Friday sales were OF mobile devices...
Last year my younger sister drove out to Best Buy in the dead of night to score a Galaxy S3 for $50, giving me her old Galaxy S, which I now use as a media center remote and miscellaneous android device. :P
They Just Don't Know What They Ordered (Score:2)
That is interesting - how could they see what they were ordering on their tiny screens?
And for the fanbois: relax! It was a light-hearted joke.
Full sized iPads never leave the house (Score:2)
Why is it that full sized iPads are still thought of as mobile devices when the vast majority of them never leave the couch?
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Someone has some hype to fuel...
Tablets can have higher resolution than PC monitors, and be connected to the big-screen TV in the living room.
Are Android and ios really a good indication of "mobile"?
How much of this shopping actually came over 3/4G connections?
Re: disparate (Score:2)
Re: disparate (Score:2)
Nah. Android users just save enough from not paying an apple brand tax that they can afford an actual computer to make purchases from.
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the mobile apps are formatted for the small screen negating any advantage of a computer.
Until you get to the ordering screen, which they didn't take the time to create a mobile version of, and you can't fill out the entire form because the goddamn keyboard keeps popping up and covering the last few entries!
The Nexus 7 works pretty well (Humble Bundle's site takes a huge shit on it, otherwise I haven't had a problem), but I've all but given up trying to order stuff with my smartphone.
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Until you get to the ordering screen, which they didn't take the time to create a mobile version of, and you can't fill out the entire form because the goddamn keyboard keeps popping up and covering the last few entries!
The Nexus 7 works pretty well (Humble Bundle's site takes a huge shit on it, otherwise I haven't had a problem), but I've all but given up trying to order stuff with my smartphone.
Given this report, iOS users don't seem to have a problem.
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Until you get to the ordering screen, which they didn't take the time to create a mobile version of, and you can't fill out the entire form because the goddamn keyboard keeps popping up and covering the last few entries!
The Nexus 7 works pretty well (Humble Bundle's site takes a huge shit on it, otherwise I haven't had a problem), but I've all but given up trying to order stuff with my smartphone.
Given this report, iOS users don't seem to have a problem.
I can spoof an iPhone/iPad user agent with my Droid.
But I haven't, at least not for online shopping, so I can't tell you whether or not that would make an actionable difference in usability. If it does, that might help explain why a phone that does not have a majority share of the mobile market is seen as being the device in use by the majority share of online shoppers: Android users spoofing iOS user agents.
Personally, I'm still stuck on the question of why this matters at all.
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Or the more obvious explanation that the iOS keyboard popping up doesn't ever cover up form fields on a web-site. The current one is automatically scrolled into view, and any other part of the web-page can be scrolled into view by the user if needs be. Nothing is out of bounds because it's behind the keyboard.
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Or the more obvious explanation that the iOS keyboard popping up doesn't ever cover up form fields on a web-site.
That in no way explains how a device owned by about 30% of smartphone users was seen as being responsible for over 80% of online sales.
It especially does not offer any better explanation than "Android devices using iOS user agents."
Quite the opposite, really.
Re:disparate (Score:5, Insightful)
It especially does not offer any better explanation than "Android devices using iOS user agents."
Quite the opposite, really.
I'd like to know what percentage of Android users who are not Slashdot users even know that you can do this.
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I think 5% is massively optimistic.
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I think 5% is massively optimistic.
"I think " != quantifiable evidence.
If you can find an actual percentage (which I doubt is even possible), feel free to post it, otherwise you're just as guilty of wild speculation as you seem to think I am.
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If even 5% of those Android users know how to switch user agents, that's still 8,353,239 people.
That's more than the entire population of my home state.
You have to then assume that these people make up a very disproportionate number of people who order online from their mobile devices.
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It does tell you that iOS users are more readily willing to part with their cash, whereas Android users are more thrifty.
As an Android user, that describes me pretty accurately. I don't ever brag about myself except when it comes to finances: I have a very low income yet I have an 850 credit rating and own some very nice things. I buy salvaged title cars that work really well (to me new cars are a total ripoff,) I subscribe to t-mobile and the service is great, and on these same tokens Android makes a lot m
Re: disparate (Score:2)
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How many people actually do that? To be honest I haven't even heard of anybody doing that, not on XDA or other hacking forums, and they're the ones who would be most likely to.
Furthermore, WHY would they do that? What purpose does it serve?
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How many people actually do that? To be honest I haven't even heard of anybody doing that, not on XDA or other hacking forums, and they're the ones who would be most likely to.
Furthermore, WHY would they do that? What purpose does it serve?
Yea, it's pretty much unquantifiable... but a variable that does affect the result.
Which leads me back to my earlier points that A) there's not enough data in this set to reach an intelligent, factual conclusion, and B) really, what the fuck does it matter who shops with Android and who shops with iOS?
Re: disparate (Score:2)
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i was going to mod you up...that is until you involved Wang-Fucking-Chung in this.
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You appear to be grasping at straws. I suspect this is an attempt by your brain to cope with the cognitive dissonance you are currently experiencing. Why else would you attempt to explain away the facts by ranting about "alternate user agents", a factor which surely represents -- at best -- a rounding error in the data.
Seriously. Give it up. You're not convincing anyone except yourself.
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"The most obvious explanation"
You keep using that term, but I do not think it means what you think it means.
Then your thinking is flawed.
If you can't explain what makes you think that, I have no compunction to believe you. Besides, you used that phrase twice, on two separate items, to "explain" something completely unrelated. Maybe you're using some weird dictionary?
Now, would you please, please stop prattling on about the goddamn keyboard?
You're the one that admitted that Android has a fundamental flaw with the keyboard that stopped you using it for online purchase.
No, I didn't - I said the keyboard on my smartphone doesn't work right, however if you actually read the entire sentence I said that after pointing out no trouble shopping with my Nexus 7, which is also an Android device. You're inferring shit I never said, because you failed to
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You appear to be grasping at straws. I suspect this is an attempt by your brain to cope with the cognitive dissonance you are currently experiencing. Why else would you attempt to explain away the facts by ranting about "alternate user agents", a factor which surely represents -- at best -- a rounding error in the data.
Seriously. Give it up. You're not convincing anyone except yourself.
In other words, I'm "grasping at straws" and performing mental gymnastics for pointing out a possible discrepancy in the data collection method... which you subsequently speculate to be inaccurate, based on nothing quantifiable, only your own, personal opinion about user agents.
Well, in that case, may I welcome you to Black Kettle Manor, Mr. Pot...
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Android users probably bought what they wanted months ago when it was cheap.
Certainly in Australia, if you want a bargain get it in late June as retailers get desperate to clear stock before tax time.
In December retailers know people are shopping without thinking, especially during a large sale like black Friday. You can put a 50% off sign on it and jack up the price 20% and people w
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It's important because money is involved, basically.
If you're trying to advertise and encourage people to buy stuff, it makes sense to know who's going to buy things and how they're willing to buy them.
I like buying things on my iPad or iPhone from sites like Amazon. The experience is good and there's not much hassle. I spend almost no time at my home desktop machine now that I have an iPad, so if Amazon puts more money into the iPad user experience, it benefits people like me and apparently has a return on
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I think you're confused as to the context of my question, so I'll re-word it:
I get why it's useful to track online purchases made from mobile devices (from a marketing stance, anyway), but why does it matter which mobile platform people use to shop online?
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Is that because you'll want to optimize your sales to those other people that aren't converting?
Because that's the only action that makes any sense. The hypotesis that people's preference of phone model has that huge correlation on willingness to buy anything requires extraordinary evidence, and people pushing for it with just this study can not be serious.
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Personally, I'm still stuck on the question of why this matters at all.
One platform has a disproportionately high conversion rate in a growing, increasingly important marketing sector and you're confused about why it matters? Do you hate money?
No, just all the stupidity that love of it seems to cause.
P.S. In your effort to seem clever, you failed to explain why what kind of phone people use to shop online with does matter.
Do you hate knowledge?
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I learned that the hard way when Mastercard's additional password dialog popped up in a tiny little iframe and couldn't be completed. Result -- no order completion until I pulled out my N7 and did the job with that.
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Really, I think that's less an OS limitation than it is a matter of website coders not considering that someone would view the site with a (non-iOS) screen smaller than 7".
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Really, I think that's less an OS limitation than it is a matter of website coders not considering that someone would view the site with a (non-iOS) screen smaller than 7".
Heard of webkit?
Heard of? Yes.
Know virtually nothing about because I'm not a web designer? You betcha.
I do know how to remove, tear down, rebuild, and re-install an automatic transmission in less than 2 hours. Does that help?
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Maybe not everyone wants an OS which expects and encourages buying more useless crap. This is a win for Android IMO.
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Which should never be an argument if you are developing a free application. I guess this is why Android has the lead in the number of free applications, but iOS probably still lead in paid applications.
Also this survey is only in the USA. Apple products have far more market share in their home market than worldwide.
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Perhaps in second and third world countries.
But in Europe many many people have Macs and iOS devices. In some countries people have more Macs than PCs. I have many friends in Paris, nearly no one has a PC or similar device, the very few who have PCs usually run Linux. Granted, not everyone has an iPhone or iPad, here the Andriod fraction is pretty high. However I doubt the iOS fraction is lower than in the USA, I would bet it is significant higher.
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Android has 72% market share in 5 major EU countries (Germany, France, UK, Spain, Italy). Source: http://www.kantarworldpanel.com/dwl.php?sn=news_downloads&id=326 [kantarworldpanel.com]
iOS only has 15%.
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And which country have more Macs than PCs?
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Most non-crap free applications do not intent to directly make money from the application. They don't have ads or in-app purchase.
I don't have any ads or in-app purchase in my email, calendar, banking, music player or instant messaging application.
For adware, crapware and other *ware, however, I totally agree with you. Therefore if I were developing a crapware application trying to fool people into buying fake university diplomas or fake pills, I would target iOS first. I would also sell a "pro" version wit
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crapware usually does not get aproved to the iTunes Appstore by Apple.
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It depends what you consider crapware. I consider WinZIP and its infamous "I agree" nag screen to be crapware. There are tons of such examples in the App Store.
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In fact I just checked "Top Grossing" and the only thing there that wasn't "free" w
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Because you think that those $1 application do not collect your data?
The only applications that can really be trusted are either because they are open source or because you wrote it yourself.
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I wouldn't use an ad-supported calendar application if the built-in one wasn't good enough.
Most quality free applications are either developped by charity/for fun or are part of a larger commercial offering like my banking application.
On my PC Small utilities like file archiver, CD burner, FTP client, media player, email client and even developer tools (IDE, compiler, editor) are all free and without ads. In fact I don't use any ad-supported application on my PC. Why would it be different on my phone?
You could try, but you'd either never get through the app review process
Fake d
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Its more accurate to say that apple only has 'premium' customers, while android customers (and android phones) run the complete range from bare bones to premium.
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But mostly barebones - the premium Androids are a rarity given the sales numbers. Of course, the flagships do sell a lot, but they're vastly outsold by the millions of cheap-ass Android phones out there (who don't sell as many, but considering new ones come daily, do get a fair bit of turnover).
I'm sure a lot of Androids are bought as "I want an iPh
Re: Apple has "premium" customers (Score:2)
Or maybe, given that iDevices entered the market before Android, those that bought into the Apple ecosystem are further along the post-PC chain, and therefore more comfortable overall with using full-featured mobile devices compared to those who entered the market later.
I know I've been reading this article on my phone, despite being able to touch my laptop with my toes. When my phone dies (it's low) or if I want to buy something, I'm more likely to grab my tablet sitting in arm's reach than grab the lapto
Browsing versus buying... (Score:2)
One thing to note that people looking up items was mostly phone. That is probably indicative of people seeing if the brick and mortar price is *really* a good deal or they would just as soon get the item online. I suspect most cell phone browsing is done in store (which would indicate a desire to better research the purchase in front of them) and probably same for purchases (brick and mortar highlighted awareness, and shopper bought from the cheaper source (this is why someone would get something online i