Growing ecommerce spending should compel some companies to focus on new marketing efforts, including strategies to target the growing number of tablet users who do shopping research and make purchases on the move.

Americans spent 17 percent more on the web in the first quarter of 2012, according to a report from market research firm comScore. The company pegged total online purchases at more than $44.2 billion, which represents substantial growth compared to the $38 billion spent in the same three-month time period last year.

The study also revealed that more consumers are using mobile devices to make purchases on the go. Thirty-eight percent of tablets users made a purchase with their handset between January and March, comScore found.

Not only are Americans spending more money on the web, they’re being more aggressive in terms of researching the best value for their money. Increased buying from tablets and even smartphones likely indicates more (and constant) product research, however, the instant nature of the web could also lend itself to impulse purchasing. In general focusing on the offering valuable information to consumers and other prospects spending more time looking into items can help marketers boost sales.

Brafton recently reported that more consumers are accessing news content on the web. As such, developing content marketing campaigns that present industry news to these prospects can help improve site traffic and compel conversions.

Similarly, tablet owners may be ideal targets for these news content efforts with many saying that they access content from their handsets among other internet-connected devices they own. Brafton highlighted a study from Pew that found 34 percent of consumers regularly access news articles from their tablets and laptops, while others also do so with a smartphone.

Joe Meloni is Brafton's former Executive News and Content Writer. He studied journalism at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has written for a number of print and web-based publications.