Dive Brief:

• As the holidays creep closer, retailers should be ready for mobile-first shoppers early in the season. Nearly 60% of mobile-first shoppers start their holiday shopping between October and mid-November, compared to just 36% of in-store-first shoppers that start early, according to Facebook IQ study emailed to Retail Dive.
• Retailers should also be conscious that consumers shop more on mobile on weekends and holidays. Conversions visible to Facebook during the holiday season were greatest last year on Cyber Monday, then Black Friday and various weekend days, according to the study.
• Mobile can also be a powerful tool to seal the deal with shoppers. The top five preferences of mobile-first shoppers include: BOPIS, free gifts with purchase, price match, coupons and customer service.

Dive Insight:

According to Facebook IQ’s study, mobile-first shoppers only make up 17% of all consumers, but they shouldn’t be underestimated. In the fourth quarter last year, m-commerce made up 21% of total e-commerce sales, raking in roughly $22.7 billion, according to comScore. And with holiday retail sales expected to grow 3.6% to 4% and between $678.75 billion to $682 billion (up from $655.8 billion last year), attracting mobile shoppers is a way to not only tap into m-commerce, but also to influence those shoppers buying decisions elsewhere.

In general, more mobile-first shoppers tend to be made up of more millennial and Gen Z men, although the study also found that 64% of parents identify as mobile-first.

Mobile isn’t just about conversions — in fact getting consumers to buy off mobile devices is still a major pain point. But as retail apps evolve, they’re doing more than providing an endless aisle — they’re serving as a valuable research tool both in and out of stores. According to a recent survey from AlixPartners, 92% of respondents said they plan to use online sources to research purchases during the season. 

Nearly 75% of shoppers will head into stores to do the majority of their shopping this year — including mobile-first customers. And they likely won't leave their smartphones at home. Digital interactions now influence 56 cents of every dollar spent in brick-and-mortar stores, according to Deloitte Consulting, and shoppers are using their smartphones in stores in more ways. The top two reasons mobile-first shoppers use their phones in stores is to compare prices and products, meanwhile most in-store-first shoppers use their phones to compare prices and look for coupons, according to the study.