As more studies are conducted, it is becoming increasing clear that the iPad is becoming the champion of mobile commerce. According to the 2013 Adobe Digital Index, it has been found that retailers generate greater sales through tablets than they do through smartphones (see our most recent blog, “Why Retailers Should Focus Their Mobile Commerce Strategy on Tablets”). Although Android-based tablets have gained a larger global market share over Apple’s iPad, with the statistics and studies available, the iPad
iPad Owners Dominate Online Traffic
Monetrate Ecommerce Quarterly’s Q1 2013 report found that 90% of tablet traffic originates from the iPad. By comparison, despite their 56% market share, Android tablets account for only 8% of tablet traffic (International Data Corporation, Q1 2013 report). Though the iPad may have been recently displaced as the global tablet market share leader, it is an overwhelming force for sales traffic in the United States. IBM’s Black Friday results for 2012 further confirm this with their finding that 90% of tablet traffic was generated from the iPad. Having such a powerful tool at one’s disposal could be a game changer, especially for the mobile commerce of retailers.
iPad Owners Spend More
comScore’s 2013 U.S. Digital Future study in Focus magazine cited that, in general, iPad owners are wealthier than the owners of other tablets, similar to the traditional comparison of Mac and PC owners. Monetate Ecommerce has also found that the average sale originating from an iPad is $99, which is higher than the average $95 sale coming from an Android and $84 Kindle sale. 10% of 2012’s Black Friday total sales were generated by the iPad. The spending customers engage in with their tablets -coupled with the demographics seen using each kind of tablet – can allow one to make the conclusion that the greater personal investment an individual has in their tablet, the greater the amount spent online with the tablet as a conduit.
iPad Owners Engage More, Especially with Apps
Furthermore, perhaps not unrelated to the personal investment, iPad users demonstrate stronger engagement. Asymco’s Orace Dediu’s theory concerning the “Android engagement paradox” considers the idea that the attraction of Android tablets for late adopters is likewise determining their shopping behavior. This affected shopping behavior manifests itself through these tablet owners spending less online. ABI Research’s 2013 forecasts predict the iPad will have a 75% market share of total tablet app downloads. Coupled with the iPad dominating tablet online traffic, retailers could be missing a great opportunity by not utilizing the iPad by not tapping into the numbers of available customers already engaged with their tablets.
The tablet has arisen as an influential tool for retailers, with the iPad at the forefront of the tablet traffic, sales, and engagement. Ensuring one’s online presence extends to the iPad means extending diversity of an online presence, stronger traffic, better sales, and better engaged customers; in essence, a superior customer experience, measurable by examining one’s own web analytics.
Retailers, does your brand has a tablet strategy? What are the results so far?
Alexandre Dhersin
