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Mastering Mobile Could Be Retailer’s Key to 2017 Holiday Season

The big winner in this year’s Holiday shopping season may be retailers that master mobile. Three-quarters of smartphone owners plan to use them when shopping this year as a research or buying tool, according to ICSC Research.

Not surprisingly, Millennials will be more likely to use mobile devices while shopping in a store than Gen X-ers or baby boomers this Holiday season. ICSC’s survey found that 93% of Millennials will do so, compared with 81% of Gen X-ers and 56% of boomers.

ICSC also reports that 83% of shoppers overall will research retailers’ websites or use their apps, primarily for research, before heading to the stores.

And the concept of m-commerce, purchasing online via mobiles, is rising compared to PC/laptop purchases. In Q4 2015, 73% of consumers said they bought something via a PC/laptop. Today, that number has steadily declined to 58%, according to research by GlobalWebIndex. Meanwhile, online purchases via a smartphone have increased from 46% in Q4 2015 to 53% today.

Research from GlobalWebIndex also shows 26% of Americans use mobile pay in fast-food restaurants. Globally, that number rises to 44%, with Asia Pacific (51%) the clear leader since mobile payment habits and systems are well-established in the market.

The reasons ICSC found for using a mobile device to shop differ, though. Among all shoppers, the most popular reason for using a device this way will be to compare prices (61%). Other reasons included:
– Obtaining digital discounts or coupons (44%)
– Checking product availability (39%)
– Taking pictures of items under consideration for purchase (38%)
– Viewing ratings or researching products (34%)
– Emailing friends or family members information about products (32%)

Those who plan to use their devices to pay for merchandise remain a small minority; with only 17% of Holiday shoppers in the ICSC survey planning to pay with a phone or app while in a store.


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About Dennis Kaiser

Dennis Kaiser is Vice President of Content and Public Relations for Connect Commercial Real Estate. Dennis is a communications leader with more than 30 years of experience including as a journalist and in corporate and agency marketing communications roles. He is responsible for Connect’s client content operations and is involved in a range of initiatives ranging from content strategy, message development, copywriting, media relations, social media and content marketing services. In his most recent corporate communications roles, he led a regional public relations effort across Southern California for CBRE, played a key marketing role on JLL’s national retail team, and was responsible for directing the global public relations effort at ValleyCrest, the nation’s largest commercial landscape services company. In addition to his vast commercial real estate experience, Dennis has worked on communications and launch strategies for a number of residential projects such as Disney’s Celebration in Florida, Ritter Ranch in Palmdale California (7,200 homes, 22,000 acres), WaterColor in Florida and PremierGarage in Phoenix. Dennis’s agency background included firms such as Idea Hall and Macy + Associates. He has earned an outstanding reputation with organization leaders as a trusted advisor, strategic program implementer, consensus builder and exceptional collaborator. Dennis has developed and managed national communications programs for Fortune 500 companies to start-ups, both public and private. He’s successfully worked with journalists across the globe representing clients involved in major-breaking news stories, product launches, media tours, and company news announcements. Dennis has been involved in a host of charitable and community organizations including the American Cancer Society, Easter Seals, BoyScouts, Chrysalis Foundation, Freedom For Life, HOLA, L.A.’s BEST, Reach Out and Read, Super Bowl Host Committee, and Thunderbirds Charities.