TORONTO, Oct. 5, 2016 /CNW/ - As we are about to kick-off another season of frenzied holiday spending and gift giving, mobile shopping is predicted to be bigger than ever, with 58 per cent of mobile shoppers saying their level of mobile spending is up compared to last year, according to the latest online shopping poll by Ebates.ca.
"We're seeing a shift in Canadians' online shopping habits, with an increase in consumers using their mobile phones as part of their overall shopping experience," said Sari Friedman, director of marketing and resident shopping expert with Ebates.ca. "The survey results indicate an increased confidence in, and desire for, the 'next level' convenience that mobile shopping offers."
Canadians actively using mobile in store
Many Canadians have been using their smart phones or tablets for researching product information and showrooming – the practice of checking out competitor prices while in store. In fact, more than one third of Canadian mobile shoppers (36%) say they are actually physically out shopping at the time they make a purchase using their mobile, a practice that's higher for men (42 per cent) than women (31 per cent). And even when consumers are in the store, many prefer to research or find out product information themselves rather than ask a sales person.
Not surprisingly, the young and affluent are among the biggest mobile shoppers. Half of millennials have made a mobile purchase in the past 12 months. And what are they buying? The top categories purchased by mobile include entertainment (music, movies, books – 55 per cent), clothing and accessories (54 per cent), electronics (51 per cent), and cosmetics, health and beauty (32 per cent).
Regardless of whether they use their mobile to actually make a purchase or not, Canadian online shoppers say they actively use their mobile device as part of the overall shopping process, and are most likely to use their mobiles for price comparisons, deals, offers or coupons, research and product reviews. And while finding the best price is the number one reason people shop via mobile, ease of transaction and a good overall experience round out the top three considerations.
Good experience, optimized sites are key
This underscores the need for Canadian retailers who haven't already done so to up their mobile game if they want to capitalize on the increasing trend in mobile shopping. More than half (55 per cent) of Canadian online shoppers cite easy transactions as important for a good mobile experience, followed closely by the use of mobile optimized (dedicated) sites (46 per cent), both of which were ranked higher than product quality and selection. In fact, a frustrating experience such as not being able to see product details on the phone is one of the top reasons why Canadian consumers don't shop mobile.
About the survey The Ebates Canada survey was conducted online in July 2016 with a nationally representative sample of 1,000 Canadians. A sample of this size is accurate to within +/-3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
SOURCE Ebates Canada
Image with caption: "Ebates Canada (CNW Group/Ebates Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20161005_C3054_PHOTO_EN_784254.jpg
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