A report from Forrester and Shop.org found that ecommerce vendors are seeing purchases from tablets more frequently, and these customers typically spend more than others. Forty-nine percent of responding companies said processed orders that come from tablets are valued above the average order, while 28 percent said they were about the same. With this in mind, marketers must think of conversion-optimized strategies to appeal to the growing number of tablet users.
Forrester predicts tablet ownership will reach 60 million Americans by the end of 2012, and many web retailers expect this portion of their target audiences to account for a substantial share of their sales moving forward. In 2011, sales from tablets accounted for more 3 percent and smartphones registered 1.5 percent of all web orders, according to retailers.
SEO and email marketing campaigns are especially useful for companies looking to reach tablet owners with their content marketing. Eighty percent of ecommerce vendors said search and email garner greater interest from these users than other outreach on other channels. The study found that retailers pegged the average amount of email marketing messages opened on tablets and smartphonesat about 20 percent in 2011, which will grow as more consumers purchase these devices in 2012.
“Retailers must continue to look for unique ways to elevate their brand in such a competitive market. Tablets and mobile devices offer the perfect answer, with opportunities to create specialized apps, drive web sales and create an engaging and convenient shopping experience,” Vicki Cantrell, executive director at Shop.org, said in a release.
Brafton recently reported that not only is tablet ownership growing, but consumers are spending more time using their devices. Tablet are no longer relegated to the role of backup internet access when consumers are away from home, with 96 percent of users turning to their devices in their living rooms.
