New research shows that 60 per cent more Australians will shop on their mobiles this festive season, while 30 per cent fewer will visit stores in real life.
Ahead of the festive season, adtech company InMobi surveyed 500 mobile users to understand their shopping habits. As a result, the company expects buying to peak in November during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales for 58 per cent of shoppers, while 18 per cent will buy before ‘free shipping day’ on the 15 December and 28 per cent will buy in the two weeks before Christmas.
InMobi also found that mobiles are the second most popular device for product discovery, with only TV ranking higher. However, when it comes to exploring and researching products, mobile is the dominant channel, with 56 per cent of Australian shoppers preferring mobile over in-store visits (31 per cent).
Just over a quarter of Australians are planning to spend more than last year, with 46 per cent expected to spend around the same as they did in 2021.
Convenience (64 per cent), availability of shopper reviews (62 per cent), loyalty programs (59 per cent) as well as easy returns and exchanges (57 per cent) have been identified as the main reasons why mobile apps and websites are gaining significant momentum as a purchase medium.
Richard O’Sullivan, Inmobi’s vice president and general manager for Australia and New Zealand, said, “As shoppers continue to turn to mobiles as their primary channel for purchase, brands must think carefully about how they can leverage the rich signals available to drive contextual advertising at scale.”
However, while mobile shopping will increase, not all categories will see an uplift. E-gadgets, jewellery and apparel, and accessories are the categories most likely to be purchased via mobile devices, according to InMobi, while groceries, home appliances, and home décor or furnishings will be most often purchased in store.
