As many news outlets have reported over the last few weeks, the major trend in e-commerce this year has come from mobile device use. Over the three-day period encompassing Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday:
• 33% of Thanksgiving Day sales came from mobile devices, as did 52% of online shopping traffic
• Mobile drove 50% of all Black Friday shopping traffic, up from 40% from last year
• Mobile sales accounted for 28% of all Black Friday online sales, up from 22% last year
• 41% of Cyber Monday traffic came from mobile devices, up from 30% in 2013
• 22% of all Cyber Monday sales came from mobile devices
• 46% of emails on Cyber Monday were opened on mobile devices
What do all these numbers mean for the average small to medium-sized business owner? A January 2014 Pew Research Internet Project study found that 90% of North American adults have a cell phone; 58% have a smartphone; 32% have an e-reader; and 42% have a tablet.