2019 was a successful year for mobile commerce with more consumers embracing mobile as their channel of choice for their entire shopping journeys.
Particularly during the holiday shopping season, mobile commerce platform Button saw a 68% increase in all mobile spend per shopper, as well as a 106% increase in total number of app installs and a 12% increase in overall conversion rate, according to its Mobile Commerce Report: 2019 Holiday Shopping Season Trends.
The report draws from the platform’s activity across more than 300 of the world’s top brands and publishers that generated hundreds of millions in spending from November 24, 2019, to January 3, 2020.
Despite 2019’s strong mobile performance, retailers looked at the holiday period with scepticism since it was a shorter season with six fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The holiday season, however, saw much stronger results than in 2018: shoppers spent an average of $197, a 17% increase from 2018, and their average order value was $59, a 23% increase from 2018.
“The official start of the commerce era is here. For companies today, the new frontier isn’t a battle for browsing or search—it’s a battle to be the starting point for commerce,” said Michael Jaconi, co-founder and CEO of Button.
Apps are the preferred shopping channel
Mobile shoppers are becoming more accustomed to using apps to complete their transactions. Over Cyber Week, shoppers made 27% more orders in-app than on mobile web, and the in-app conversion rate outpaced that of mobile web by 86%.
Meanwhile, new customers spent an average of $75 per order compared to active customers who spent an average of $41 per order, demonstrating how holiday promotions work to attract people to spend more. Furthermore, new customers made up a whopping 81% of all customers over the holiday season and contributed to 52% of all holiday spending.
Although active consumers made up just 9% of all customers over the holiday season, they contributed to 32% of all holiday spending.
“Companies that control the start of the buyer journey can influence what people buy, where they buy from, and how they pay. Heading into 2020, the companies that lean in on mobile’s increasing status as a lean-in, action-oriented platform will emerge at the top,” concluded Jaconi.