Dive Brief:

• According to new research from Poq, an app commerce firm, more than 25% of online traffic will come from mobile apps by the 2020 holiday season. The company predicted in its report that the share of desktop traffic will continue to decline, and the traffic gap between mobile apps and desktop shopping will continue to grow.

• App downloads jumped by 42.2% during Cyber Week compared to 2018, according to the report. In November, retailers with apps had more mobile visits, which made up 85% of their e-commerce traffic, per the report.​

• The report also found that notifications containing the term "deal" had a 50% higher direct open rate than on average.

Dive Insight:

While it remains up for debate whether mobile apps are worth the investment for smaller retailers, Poq's research is one more sign that mobile apps will play a greater role in shopping for the retail industry overall.

The Poq analysis confirms that shoppers are increasingly relying on mobile commerce, but the channel is not without its challenges. Shoppers spent more than $50 billion on their smartphones during the 2019 holiday season, but half of mobile shoppers abandon their carts, according to Adobe's Holiday 2019 Recap report. 

A Nosto report found that shopping via mobile phone made up nearly 67% of traffic to fashion retail sites and 52% of sales, and that mobile phone conversion rates jumped by 53% in 2019, compared to the 2018 holiday season. Overall, it seems that having a solid mobile presence is crucial to attracting customers over the holidays. 

"Consumer behavior changes around big sales days like Black Friday. Customers opt to shop with the most convenient, relevant and engaging shopping experiences," Poq CEO & co-founder Oyvind Henriksen said in an emailed statement. "Retailers globally are recognizing the importance of apps. By adapting to these evolving habits, retailers are building authentic consumer relationships and generating more revenue."