Mobile devices expected to drive holiday retail traffic

Friday, November 11, 2011

According to a recent IBM study, the proliferation of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices is expected to account for 15 percent of the U.S. population accessing retail websites this holiday season.

The IBM research points to total online sales for November increasing between 12 and 15 percent from last year. In October, nearly 11 percent of the U.S. population accessed retailer websites through mobile devices, increasing from the 4.2 percent in October 2010.

"For the first time, Android users will demonstrate similar levels of mobile shopping as iPhone users," said IBM. "These October 2011 numbers show iPhone accounting for 4.0 percent of mobile traffic and Android 3.5 percent."

Also, people using Apple's iPad tablets account for the highest retail conversion rates, reaching 6.8 percent last month compared to the overall mobile rate of 3.6 percent.

With so many mobile devices being used by consumers and employees, organizations concerned by emerging security issues can utilize several options. According to a recent CSO report by contributing writer Paula Skokowski, a mobile device management policy helps secure sensitive data stored in the IT infrastructure.