UPDATED 09:25 EDT / NOVEMBER 23 2011

Tablet Retail Better Prepared for Holiday Shoppers this Year

Thanksgiving and Black Friday are fast approaching, and retail stores are gearing up to accommodate the massive throng of shoppers come Friday.  In the past, Black Fridays have always been chaotic.   Yeah, it’s crazy, but you can’t blame people for wanting to take advantage of the massive price cuts you can find on this extended holiday.

But with shopping using mobile devices, like tablets and smartphones, growing increasingly popular, will retail shops still be jam-packed on Black Friday at all?

Mobile Shopping

Women would probably agree with me on this one: shopping is addicting and there’s just this unexplainable feeling when you go out to shop.  It’s like your whole being comes alive.  But no matter how much you love shopping, it’s so frustrating to deal with crowds, especially when we’re all flushed to visit stores just for a discount you can likely find online these days.

PayPal and eBay is appealing to these sensible online shoppers with their shopping app as this year, running a few relevant initiatives for this growing demographic.

“Mobile shopping is mainstream now, and eBay expects this holiday to be the largest mobile shopping season ever,” said Steve Yankovich, vice president of eBay Mobile. “Shoppers are in the driver’s seat, with mobile technology putting the mall right in your pocket. We’re using our mobile and tablet innovations to empower people to shop – and find the best deals – anytime, anywhere, any way they want – from the comfort of their couch or on the go.”

But if you’re intent on leaving the house, mobile tools are still quite helpful.  eBay’s hedging its bets by also offering the HAPPY HOLIDAY HOTSPOTS – it’s a food truck that delivers sweet treats and free WiFi, creating a mobile shopping sanctuary.  All you need is the eBay mobile app and you’re all set–just look for the holiday-themed food truck. The catch?  HAPPY HOLIDAY HOTSPOTS is currently limited to two locations: New York City’s Herald Square and San Francisco’s Union Square.

It is predicted that in 2011, eBay will see nearly $5 billion in mobile sales (Gross Merchandise Volume), while PayPal expects more than $3.5 billion in mobile payment volume.

Aside from that, other retail stores already put out early ads for Black Friday to entice shoppers.  BigLots already has their Black Friday ads out, and  Office Depot already has marked down prices for laptops, printers, digicams and other computer accessories.  Kohl’s is offering online shopping starting Thursday while in-store shopping wold start Friday 12AM local time (depends on location).  And Staples is offering up to 70% off on their pre-Black Friday sale.  To see other pre-Black Friday and other exciting holiday deals, click here and here.

More people are using their mobile devices in web shopping rather than their computers or laptops, thanks to the advantages of mobility.  Retailers are picking up on the trend, improving their smartphone and tablet experience significantly in the past year in order to be more prepared for this year’s holiday season.

Extending mobility’s market

eBay’s certainly on to something with the WiFi truck.  With the increase in use in tablets and smartphones, there’s is also a huge increase in Wi-Fi use.  According to iGR, a market strategy consultancy focused on the wireless and mobile communications industry, more people are using Wi-Fi because it provides a high quality data connection in the home so users are accustomed to very low latency and high connection speeds; WiFi is wireless and users are increasingly accustomed to bandwidth-intensive activities on laptops, smartphones, and tablets; in-home usage is a precursor to outside-the-home usage like when you’re watching or streaming at home, you’re likely to do the same even when you step outside your home.

“Why should wireless operators, infrastructure vendors and device OEMs care about how much WiFi is used in the home? Because today’s consumers are expecting a world in which they always have high-speed data access to anything they want,” says Matt Vartabedian, iGR’s vice president of the wireless and mobile research service, who was responsible for the new study. “Internet and data access is inextricably woven into the personal, social and business fabric of today’s life. And WiFi is setting expectations by which consumers will judge the performance of 4G, HSPA+ and LTE networks, devices and services.”

iGR’s report also notes a trend in Wi-Fi usage, demonstrating that older people are the least likely to use Wi-Fi.  Middle-aged or business travelers are the ones most likely use Wi-Fi in airports and hotels, and people who own smartphones and tablets are the ones who tend to use Wi-Fi the most.

A number of areas are affected by the increased use of mobile devices, including the advertising sector.  Developers are focusing on advertising as a key area of growth through the holiday season and moving into 2012, as pointed out by the latest Millennial Media report.  The holiday season proves especially trying for retailers, but it’s also spawned a number of developments in this space as more look to capitalize on online retail.


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