By CLICK Staff
RESTON, Va.—Four out of five smartphone users accessed retail content on their device this past summer and the numbers are growing.
comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, released a study in September this year about U.S. smartphone shopping behavior based on data from its
comScore Mobile Metrix 2.0 service. The study found that 85.9 million total smartphone users accessed retail content on their device in July. Amazon Sites led as the top retailer with an audience of 49.6 million visitors, while multi-channel retailers including Apple (17.7 million visitors), Wal-Mart (16.3 million visitors), Target (10 million visitors) and Best Buy (7.2 million visitors) also attracted significant mobile audiences.
"With nearly 86 million Americans now shopping on their smartphones, this pronounced shift in consumer behavior is simply too large for retailers to ignore, with the future of their business depending on how well they adapt to the new environment," said Mark Donovan, comScore SVP of mobile. "But adapting isn't always easy, especially when considering the complexity of the mobile environment, which requires optimizing the experience across multiple platforms and for both mobile websites and apps. The retailers who best understand how consumers are engaging in mobile shopping behaviors and design their strategies accordingly will be best positioned to capitalize on these shifting market dynamics."
As mobile becomes an increasingly important channel for retailers to reach current and potential customers, other companies are recognizing the opportunity smartphones present throughout the shopping process. Shopkick, a shopping rewards app that provides points for consumers who visit retail partners' physical stores such as Target, Macy's, Best Buy, etc., saw its mobile audience reach more than 4 million visitors in July, demonstrating one way consumers are turning to their mobile devices as part of their in-store shopping experience, comScore reported.
Selected Retail Properties by Unique Smartphone Visitors(000)
(Mobile Browser and App Audience Combined)
July 2012
Total U.S. Smartphone Subscribers Age 18+ on iOS, Android and RIM Platforms
Source: comScore Mobile Metrix 2.0
Selected Retail Properties by Unique Smartphone Visitors (000) on iOS and Android Devices
(Mobile Browser and App Audience Combined)
July 2012
Total U.S. Smartphone Subscribers Age 18+ on iOS and Android Platforms
Source: comScore Mobile Metrix 2.0
Analysis of smartphone shoppers versus those visiting on desktop or laptop computers revealed new insights into audience demographics. Across both smartphones and desktop computers, males and females represented nearly equal proportions of retail category visitors. However, females accounted for a higher share of time spent on retail destinations at 53.4 percent of minutes on desktop computers and an even greater share of retail minutes on smartphones at 56.1 percent.
Smartphone shoppers were also more likely to be younger than their desktop counterparts with 70.7 percent of smartphone retail visitors under the age of 45 compared to 61.1 percent of desktop users. Engagement among these audiences showed even greater disparity with visitors under the age of 45 accounting for nearly 3 in every 4 minutes spent on retail content via smartphones, compared to 61.6 percent of retail minutes on desktop computers.
Smartphone retail audiences were more likely to reside in higher income households compared to desktop computer users, likely as a result of smartphone ownership skewing toward higher income segments compared to an average consumer. Among smartphone audiences accessing retail destinations, nearly 1 in every 3 had a household income of $100k or greater, with this income segment driving a comparable 31.2 percent of minutes spent on retail sites and apps.
Retail Category Demographic Profile – PC and Smartphone Usage
July 2012
Total U.S. Smartphone Subscribers Age 18+ on iOS, Android and RIM Platforms, Total U.S. Online Audience Age 18+ – Home/Work Computer Access
Source: comScore Mobile Metrix 2.0 and comScore Media Metrix
Back to Newsletter