Yankee Group: ’Tis the Season: Mobile Retailing Will Transform 2009 Holiday Shopping

The End of ‘Shop ‘til You Drop’?

There is mounting evidence that the 2009 holiday retail period in the U.S. will be one of the weakest in many years, and it is becoming increasingly clear that consumers are dramatically changing how they will spend their scarce holiday dollars. This report looks at how more ubiquitous and powerful technology across the considered purchase process will impact consumer behavior and the retail experience. The idea that mobile technology will reshape consumer behavior isn’t new to anyone in the wireless industry. And retailers are certainly aware of the ubiquity of mobile communications and changes in how consumers gather and share information. But the idea of “mobile retailing”—which includes enabling remote access to total product inventories, robust tools for information gathering, more refined price comparisons and comprehensive social research—is only now beginning to catch on. 2009 is shaping up to be a dramatically different holiday shopping season, and the habits consumers develop in the next several weeks may influence their shopping behavior for years to come.

Will the Economy Spell Doom for Retailers?

Holiday shopping is far from a trivial topic. Fourth-quarter retail sales have a material impact on the country’s gross domestic product and overall economic health, so the efforts of economists to forecast holiday shopping behavior is an important exercise closely watched by public policymakers and news media. Most of these forecasts are not especially optimistic, as economists point to three factors that will contribute to significantly reduced holiday spending:
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Keywords

Mobile, retail, holiday, shopping, transform, season, economy

Pages
Publish Date & Author(s)

by Christopher Collins, Senior Analyst
7 pages
November 2009