Cyber Monday is the biggest shopping day for the ecommerce sector, with Forbes reporting $9.4 billion in sales this year – almost a 19% increase over 2018. Increased smartphone usage is the driving force behind the boost in holiday sales. In 2015, 50% of our survey respondents said that they used a mobile device to shop on Cyber Monday. By 2019, that percentage had increased to 70%.[1]

Cyber Monday shoppers show a particular affinity for mobile shopping. Only 60% of consumers used their smartphones to shop during the prior Thanksgiving weekend.

Unsurprisingly, the adoption rate was higher among younger shoppers, peaking at 70% among consumers 25-29. By comparison, only 40% of respondents 65 and older had used a cell phone to shop online.

2019 Cyber Monday mobile shopping adoption by age group

Mobile shopping was also more popular among female consumers, with 62% of females shopping on mobile compared to 55% of males.

However, while the popularity of mobile shopping is rising quickly, there have been few signs of any significant shifts in consumers’ mobile shopping activities. Despite the hype and promise of smartphone-and-tablet-driven augmented reality retail experiences, the way consumers shop has remained relatively static even as the rate of usage increases.

 Cyber Monday 2019 mobile shopping behavior

Overwhelmingly, shoppers used their phones in primarily conventional ways, such as to make a purchase, browse products, or check prices. Other behaviors, like locating retail stores, looking up policy information (such as returns or Customer Service), or scanning QR/bar codes has remained low. This may be due to retailers not promoting these options enough, or shoppers simply not seeing enough value in using them.

For many shoppers, smartphones have already replaced desktops as the primary way to shop online. Retailers that focus on creating a frictionless, mobile-first experience will be the first to benefit as this trend continues.

[1] Source: Bizrate Insights Cyber Monday Flash Survey, December 2019.