2024 holiday shopping trends: How each generation will spend

Marketing by mobile device is now as popular as ever as retailers send shoppers text messages with special offers and sales. More and more companies are also offering their own phone apps so customers can search for product information and deals on the go. With more than 80 million mobile internet users in the United States, retailers can really benefit from this communication channel. One perk for shoppers is that they no longer have to save and print out coupons from emails! Through their mobile phones, shoppers can receive texts about sales and coupons as they enter stores. They can keep track of their favorite stores and make a purchase anywhere/anytime. One perk for shoppers is that they no longer have to save and print out coupons from emails! All they have to do is show the coupon on their phone at the point of purchase to redeem their coupon. With “QR” bar codes or quick response codes directly on coupons on your phone, savings can be redeemed on the spot. While many people don’t know yet that they can use QR codes on a mobile device, retailers have only begun to take advantage of this technology and more customers are now able to scan items in a store and pay for it using their mobile phones. While it’s just the beginning of a new era, mobile marketing is taking us by storm and now is the perfect time to put this trend into effect.  

With all the debate and speculation regarding Groupon and its planned IPO, I thought it would be a great time to check back in with our previous analysis of traffic to Groupon and its nearest competitor Living Social. First, to be clear, the above chart measures web-based traffic to both domains and does not include mobile or app specific traffic. Regardless of these exclusions, the drop-off in Groupon traffic this summer has been significant nearly 50% since its peak in the second week of June 2011 compared to last week. During the same time, Living Social has achieved 27% growth in visits to its site. Overall visits to a custom category of Daily Deal & Aggregator sites were down 25% for the same time. So why is there a narrowing of the gap between the two market leaders in group coupons? Perhaps it is simply a case of increased number of competitors and deal fatigue among consumers or simply not enough of the right deals. PriceGrabber® released results from its Local Deals Survey in June, stating that 44% of respondents said they use or search daily deal Websites. However, 52% expressed feeling overwhelmed by the number of bargain-boasting emails they receive on a daily basis. While consumer fatigue may be one factor another key consideration for these sites is to focus on the attracting new and preferred audience segments via the inbox. Currently the audience segments for both Groupon and Living Social are very similar so it will be interesting to see how both sites and category perform heading into the holiday season.

Newton was only half right: Objects in motion tend to stay in motion, but objects at rest are increasingly becoming mobile. That’s the case, at least, when it comes to the world of today’s mobile consumer. According to exclusive research from Experian Simmons, fully 29% of cell phone owners today believe that their cell phone will be the primary device for their entertainment needs, in the future. Furthermore, a recent report by J.P. Morgan estimates that U.S. mobile ad spending will nearly double in 2011 to $1.2 billion. Screen size and limitations on creative, the report says, present obstacles to mobile advertisers. These obstacles and opportunities make it more important than ever for marketers to understand the behaviors and mindset of the mobile consumer. In this first in a series of blog posts, we will explore some key findings presented in the 2011 Mobile Consumer Report recently published recently by Experian Simmons. Media outlets have started to take note, citing the report in articles here and here. Come back to this blog frequently for further updates, or download the full report today. Mobile Market Overview Cell phone ownership among American adults stands at 91%, up from 72% in 2006. The vast majority of teens, too, have joined the mobile revolution, with 74% of those ages 12 to 17 porting a portable phone, up from 59% in 2006. Even tots are getting into the act, with a reported 22% of kids ages 6 to 11 owning a cell phone today. Among adults ages 22 to 24, the idea of not owning a cell is virtually unheard of, with an astounding 98% of consumers in this bracket reporting personally owning a cell phone. While cell ownership among adults age 65+ is the lowest of any adult segment, it is the fastest growing, having increased a relative 52% between 2006 and 2010. Despite the rise in youth owning cell phones, 90% of all mobile phone owners in the U.S. are adults, a rate unchanged since 2008. Percent of Americans that own a cell phone, by age    Mobile Service Providers Verizon maintains its position as America’s number one cell phone service provider, with 32% of all adult mobile phone owners saying they are Verizon subscribers as of May 23, 2011. AT&T also has a sizable share of the market, with 28% of mobile phone owners subscribing to AT&T for cell service. Battling for third place are Sprint and T-Mobile, which respectively claim just 11% and 10% of the mobile market. Smaller, often regional, providers may individually have fewer subscribers, but combined, claim an impressive 22% of the total cellular market. Verizon and AT&T will almost certainly continue to dominate the market, especially given the fact that cell phone subscribers are increasingly staying with their provider for an extended period of time. As of May 23, 2011, the average cell phone subscriber had been with their provider for 3 years and 2 months, up from 2 years and 11 months observed at the beginning of 2008. Furthermore, 59% of cell phone subscribers say they’ve been with their current provider for at least 4 years, up from 46% who reported the same in early 2008. 59% of cell phone subscribers say they’ve been with their current provider for at least 4 years Service Providers’ Share of Cell Phone Subscribers   Click here to learn more about obtaining vivid consumer research from Experian Simmons and don’t forget to check back here for new blog posts on mobile consumers.