Search is where it is at for holiday shoppers.
In fact, record numbers of consumers are using search engines over
apps and social networks this season, according to new data from RichRelevance, a provider of personalized recommendations for e-commerce sites.
One of every five, or 20 percent, of shopping sessions began with a
search engine, up six percent over last year, the RichRelevance report
found.
“New ways of shopping have emerged that will continue to change the
landscape for retailers,” said RichRelevance CEO David Selinger. “For
the second year running, we are digging into a huge treasure trove of
data to provide insights into how Americans are shopping right now at
the national and regional level.”
The following is an excerpt of key findings from the report:
• Mobile Shopping Continues to Boom: Shopping on tablets and
mobile phones doubled this year to represent 15 percent of all traffic.
Mobile activity peaked on Thanksgiving with traffic from mobile reaching
19 percent.
• Pinterest Gains Share from Facebook: Traffic from social
sources is up 30 percent this holiday, but still accounts for less than
0.5 percent of all traffic to retail sites. Traffic from Pinterest has
doubled from this year to last, and now accounts for nearly 10 percent
of all traffic from social sources. Facebook still dominates but has
seen its share decrease to 90 percent (versus 95 percent for Holiday
2011). Twitter is not a factor for retailers with less than one percent
of share of traffic.
• Cyber Monday Extends Into Cyber Week: Data shows that more
people continue to shop post-Cyber Monday in 2012 vs. 2011. Shopping
activity was twice as heavy on the Thursday and Friday following Cyber
Monday this holiday as compared to last. Among all shoppers who visited
retailers at least once during the holiday shopping period (from
Thanksgiving through the following Friday), about one in 10 were active
on the Thursday (11 percent) or Friday (10 percent) following Cyber
Monday. That’s twice as many as 2011, where about one in 20 were active
on Thursday (five percent) or Friday (five percent).
The company’s research, garnered from more than 490 million shopping
sessions across the Internet, also broke down the data by region.
The Southwest, including Dallas and Oklahoma City, had the highest
mobile traffic of all regions, while the West Coast, including San
Francisco, Seattle, and Portland bought the most expensive items.
The Great Lakes — which includes including Chicago, Milwaukee, and
Cleveland — had more online shoppers per capita than any other region.
These shoppers also spent the most time on retail sites.
The Plains, including Minneapolis, Des Moines, and Omaha, had the
lowest average order value among all regions, as well as the lowest
mobile usage.
Post from: SiteProNews
Search Engine Use on Rise During Holiday Shopping Season
