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Companies have long felt the pressure to develop apps for customers carrying tablets and smartphones, but according to a new study consumers show a greater preference — by up to 20 times — for browsing the Web to shop rather than using branded apps.
The findings, by mobile and social media merchandising firm Zmags revealed that only 4% of consumers prefer to shop using mobile apps, while 87% prefer websites and mobile sites. However, another 87% of consumers prefer to browse and buy from websites via PCs or laptops, followed by only 14% that would opt to shop via mobile websites on their smartphones and 9% with their tablets. The survey was conducted by Equation Research, which polled 1,500 male and female consumers over the age of 18 who own a computer, smartphone and/or tablet.
That's not to say that tablet owners don't feel comfortable making purchases from their devices. In fact, nearly nine out of 10 tablet owners did some of their holiday shopping this year, spending about $325. In addition, nearly half of owners said they expect to shop even more on their devices this year.
While tablet shopping is gaining ground across various retail categories, consumers are starting to show category-specific device preferences. For example, 53% of shoppers for electronics said they often use a tablet to make a purchase, followed by toys (39%), clothing (37%) and travel (26%).
Tablet users are flocking to Facebook too. For retailers and brands contemplating whether or not their marketing initiatives on the social networking site are worth the effort, about 34% of tablet owners said they are shopping on a retailer's or brand's Facebook page.
Do you think branded apps will ever become more popular among consumers? Should retailers continue to reach out to shoppers this way? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
More About: apps, Mobile, smartphones, tablets
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