Here are the online shopping trends reported by IBM’s real-time analytics for Thanksgiving Day:
- Online sales were up 14.3% over the same period on Thanksgiving 2013
- Mobile traffic accounted for 52.1% of all online traffic, an increase of 22.4% year-over-year
- Mobile sales accounted for 32.3% of all online sales, an increase of 25.4% year-over-year
Let’s take a closer look at the key drivers behind these Thanksgiving Day trends:
Consumers Cash-In on Online Bargains: Average order value was $125.25 down 1.8% over 2013. Shoppers also purchased an average of 4.3 items per order, an increase of 16.2%. This trend may indicate that shoppers are becoming more comfortable and digitally savvy in how they use online coupons and rebates to secure the best bargains.
Smartphones Browse, Tablets Buy: Smartphones drove 36.4% of total online traffic, more than double that of tablets, which accounted for 15.4% of all online traffic. However, tablets are winning the shopping war. Tablet sales accounted for 17.9% of online sales, compared to smartphones, which accounted for 14.4% of total online sales, a difference of 24.2%.
The Desktop is Not Dead: Even as mobile shopping continues to grow, many consumers chose a more traditional online experience. Desktop PC traffic represented 47.6% of all online traffic, and 67.6% of all online sales. Further, consumers spent more money on their desktops with an average order value of $132.48 compared to their mobile devices at $112.69, a difference of 17.6%.
Apple iOS vs. Android: Apple iOS once again led the way in mobile shopping this holiday season, outpacing Android across three key metrics:
- Average Order Value: Apple iOS users averaged $118.57 per order compared to $95.25 for Android users, a difference 24.5%
- Online Traffic: Apple iOS traffic accounted for 35.7% of total online traffic, more than double that of Android, which drove 15.9% of all online traffic
- Online Sales: Apple iOS sales accounted for 25.2% of total online sales, more than three times that of Android, which drove 6.9% of all online sales.
Facebook vs. Pinterest: As marketers continue to rely on social channels to drive brand loyalty and sales, IBM analyzed trends across two leading sites, Facebook and Pinterest. Facebook referrals drove an average of $107.73 per order, while Pinterest referrals averaged $95.24 per order.
The IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark also reported real-time trends across four retail categories this Thanksgiving:
Department Stores: Thanksgiving total online sales grew by 29.8% over 2013, with mobile percentage of sales increasing by 25%. Average order value was $139.53, a decrease of 2.4% year-over-year.
Health and Beauty: Thanksgiving total online sales grew by 55% over 2013, with mobile percentage of sales increasing by 30.5 %. Average order value was $72.90, an increase of 6.2% year-over-year.
Home Goods: Thanksgiving total online sales grew by 32.4% over 2013, with mobile percentage of sales flat. Average order value was $282.65, an increase of 19.2% year-over-year.
Apparel: Thanksgiving total online sales grew by 36.7% over 2013, with mobile percentage of sales increasing by 28%. Average order value was $112.79, a decrease of 1.9% year-over-year.