In the US, smartphones became the most popular devices for Black Friday shopping. 41% of sales were made on smartphones this year, in comparison to 38% on desktop computers and laptops. It is the first time that this has been the case, with computers being the most popular choice in years gone by. Although this is not yet the case in the UK, the statistical gap is closing, meaning that it may well be the case that smartphones take over in the near future.
The development didn’t come as a complete surprise, having been predicted by the CTA. The fact that more people than ever own smartphones, along with advertising aimed at consumers being shown on the likes of social media on these devices, encourages people to make purchases online on their phones. Unlike with previous phones, smartphones now provide an ideal interface for such purchases, meaning that there is no need for users to switch over to a computer to make the purchase as they may have chosen to do previously.
Over the Black Friday weekend, technology continues to be one of the sectors with the most interest. Televisions were the top product that consumers chose to buy, closely followed by headphones and laptops. There were a number of other technological winners over the weekend, including Amazon’s Echo, which was heavily purchased thanks to its discounted price online.
Although the Black Friday weekend is popular, particularly for those who take the decision to complete Christmas shopping early, many people still take the decision to shop at other times of the season, too. In fact, 71% of adults who responded to a poll stated that they plan to continue their shopping throughout the rest of December, rather than confining it to just one weekend. There were a number of reasons for this being the case, including that the choice to shop in-store removes the chance of issues with delivery, they have always preferred to shop last minute, and there may be even better deals if they wait until later in the season.
Many shoppers have found that the ability to search for and make the most of deals on mobile devices has meant that they have made purchases on the spur of the moment that may not otherwise have been made. Around half of respondents said that they wouldn’t have made certain choices if they had more time to think about what they were doing.
In the US, spending on technology reached $96.8 billion, which is a record. With so much of this due to smartphone sales, it makes sense that the UK should be predicting similar patterns. Cloud computing is leading the way in much of this area, and with the growth showing no sign of slowing down, opportunities are only likely in increase for cloud computing experts.