There is a good possibility that you are reading this blog post on a tablet. There is another strong possibility that you will soon make a purchase on your tablet. Tablets have quickly become the mobile solution for not only accessing the web, but for shopping, reading and other activities.
Today there are over 55 million tablet owners. Seeing that tablets really just hit the scene only a few short years ago, this is an astounding number. By the year 2014, it is estimated that there will be over 80 million table owners. That’s even more eye opening.
So, what is it about the tablet that has revolutionized technology? Likely, it is the convenience factor over all else. Remember when PCs hit the market and the screens looked like big bulky television-looking screens? In addition, you had the “brains” of the unit as another colossal piece of equipment that sat on your floor. Bulky, but we were happy. Now fast forward…the tablet is another iteration of that dinosaur computer. We migrated from the dinosaur to the laptop, which is still very popular. The laptop is very mobile as well, but in comparison to the tablet, it is a little more cumbersome to carry. Carrying a tablet is like carrying a book, even lighter at times than a book. So with that convenience, it is not surprising that e-commerce has catapulted into a shopping frenzy. All you need is an Internet connection, and you can search the web with ease while being lazy on your couch or while traveling. Consumers are purchasing mobile plans and bundling it with their mobile phones or purchasing “hotspots” to make accessing the web virtually painless.
With this ease, owners are purchasing more products and many are shopping on impulse, which is resulting in big revenues for online ecommerce stores. Tablet shoppers are averaging $123 per order as compared to a $102 per order from a desktop shopper. A smart phone order averages $80 making tablet shoppers more profitable to the online retailers.
Don’t think the retailers are not picking up on this and adjusting their marketing plans. Today, 91% of retailers now have a mobile strategy. This means they are marketing to that on-the-go customer who will click a button and make a purchase. To many, e-shopping is easier– no lines and no rude sales people…. a shopping heaven.
If you are a retailer and haven’t caught on yet, you may want to reevaluate your current web marketing strategy. Don’t create a new website or an app, just make your current website tablet friendly. Some tips to use are larger fonts, increasing your websites load time, incorporate tap functionality as well as simplify and optimize your check out process.
For the consumer who refuses to upgrade with the times, consider this: connectivity wherever you go makes the tablet the mobile unit of today. Tablet users with laptops and desktops soon find themselves slowly weaning off of them. They can’t measure up to the ease and convenience of the tablet.
See more information and stats about tablet shoppers in this infographic:
Tablet Shopper Infographic via Miva Merchant. Learn more about the Miva Merchant ecommerce platform at MivaMerchant.com.
Do you use a tablet? Do a lot of online shopping? Let us know!