Smartphones and tablets encourage shopping in the midnight hour
An overwhelming number of consumers are indulging in 'twilight shopping' on their mobile devices, indicating that retail is now a 24 hour industry.
New research has found that 40% of big online spenders shop using their tablet devices, and 27% shop using their smartphones between 9pm and midnight.
The European research from performance marketing company, Tradedoubler, reveals an extension to traditional shopping hours, with 10% of mobile shoppers buying via their devices between 6pm and 9am, and 40% of spenders using their tablet to buy after 9pm.
Altogether, 51% of tablet owners shop between 5pm and midnight.
'Our research demonstrates just how versatile marketers and retailers need to be,' said Dan Cohen, regional director at Tradedoubler. 'Mobile has effectively extended shopping hours for both consumers and retailers, and created an environment where consumers can shop whenever and wherever they like.
'Retailers need to recognise that a strong mobile presence, as part of an integrated digital campaign, will not only increase their engagement with consumers but will also enable them to guide shoppers down their preferred purchasing path,' added Cohen.
A recently published mobile commerce forecast from Forrester estimates that 49% of all European online sales will come from mobile devices by 2018. This highlights the growing importance of a mobile presence for retailers who wish to engage with consumers across the increasingly complex online journey.
Tradedoubler's research also showed that mobile devices are enhancing the effectiveness of TV advertising. While they are watching TV, over half of smartphone owners (57%) use their device for activity related to the programme they are watching, and 59% use their device to buy something they have seen advertised on TV, with the latter rising to 71% for tablet owners.
'The convergence of TV and mobile has turned television from a passive into an active experience,' continued Cohen. 'Consumers constantly research, share and ultimately buy products they've seen on TV and retailers and advertisers have a unique opportunity to engage with consumers in their own homes, on their own time, with deals that generate an immediate impact.
'We know that consumers turn to mobile devices for information and inspiration but it's where the conversation starts and where the consumer goes next that matters,' said Cohen. 'Smartphones and tablets are now at the very heart of the European retail landscape and will play a key role in its growth over the coming years. If retailers don't have a mobile presence they'll quickly find their customers jumping ship and engaging with the competitors who can give them what they need to buy, when they need it.'
