Today, we’ll take a look at some tablet-commerce stats and why some believe that the future of mobile commerce may be driven by tablets, find out why the Google+ user policies are problematic for some, and examine early preparation steps and predictions for the 2011 holiday shopping season.
Tablet-Based Shopping On The Rise
Do you own an iPad or other tablet device? A recent report from Forrester Research shows that 9% of online shoppers own a tablet computer. This may not sound like a very large percentage, but consider this:
- The same study also found that half of all tablet owners use their devices to purchase items online
- Consumers surveyed who owned both a tablet and a smartphone said that they prefer tablet shopping
- Retailers say that 20% of their mobile shopping traffic comes from tablet users.
What does this mean for ecommerce retailers?
Mainly, that while tablet users may make up a small percentage of online shoppers, they are a group with a significant impact. Mobile commerce growth is expected to increase over the coming years, and while tablet devices may seem like luxury items for many consumers now, keep in mind that it was only a few years ago that smartphones were considered to be the same.
What this also means that the ecommerce and mcommerce stores that they launch may potentially be viewed on several different devices, including laptops, desktops, tablets, and smartphones. While time will tell if tablet-based commerce use will truly take off, online retailers need to be aware of the fact that people are increasingly turning towards these devices, as well as smartphones for online shopping, and plan both their design and marketing efforts accordingly.
Google+ Regulations Confuse, Anger, Some Users
In the past few weeks, Google has been deleting “non-user” profiles from Google+, and recently announced that plans to unveil Google+ business pages are in the works.
According to several sources, Google has been deleting not only corporate or brand profiles but also user profiles that it determines have violated Google’s Terms Of Service by using either a pseudonym or a name that contains invalid characters or symbols.
The TOS state that users are required to use both their first and last names in a single language, not include “unusual characters,” not use anyone else’s name, and only represent one person in their profile. (i.e. you can’t use your Google+ profile to represent your company)
According to ZDNet, the suspension of a Google+ profile for TOS violations can also result in the suspension of a user’s Google account, including Google+, Gmail, and other Google Services.
This has led some to believe that Google has missed the mark so to speak, when it comes to social networking. This hasn’t seemed to hurt the new social network’s overall popularity, however, particularly since many people (and businesses) are still anxiously waiting to join.
Do you have a Google+ account? What do you think of the TOS? Do you plan on having a Google+ for your business? Let us know.
Online Retailers Prepare For 2011 Holiday Shopping Season
For ecommerce retailers, the time to prepare for the holiday season is now, and many are in the process of planning their holiday inventory orders.
According to Internet Retailer, the annual question of how many products to order and how much of them can be sold is an especially important one for merchants this year, due to the current state of the US economy.
Online sellers are choosing both product types and quantities with caution, and negotiating return clauses with suppliers for leftover merchandise. In lean economic times, being left with an excess of unsold merchandise and having it take up precious space in stockrooms doesn’t make much sense, and so far, the trend for the 2011 holiday shopping season seems to be ordering just enough, products rather than deliberately ordering too much just in case of strong consumer demand.
“I really am trying to hit it on the nose and order what I think we can sell through the end of the year,” ecommerce retailer Mark Carson told Internet Retailer.
