Button Mobile Commerce Report: 2019 Holiday Shopping Season Trends Reveals That Shoppers Spent 68% More on Mobile in 2019 Compared to 2018

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Jan 24, 2020, 07:00 ET

NEW YORK, Jan. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Button, the mobile commerce optimization platform, today released the Button Mobile Commerce Report: 2019 Holiday Shopping Season Trends that reveals mobile's overall performance in 2019, key insights into the most recent holiday shopping season, commerce patterns surrounding Cyber Week, and key takeaways for mobile marketers planning their 2020 strategies. All aggregated, anonymized data is pulled from transactions that took place across Button's platform.

2019 was another massive year for mobile commerce, with more consumers embracing mobile as their channel of choice for their entire shopping journeys. Comparing 2019 to 2018, Button saw a 68% increase in overall mobile spend per shopper, a 38% increase in total number of orders per shopper, a 106% increase in total number of installs, and a 12% increase in overall conversion rate.

Despite 2019's strong mobile performance, retailers looked at the holiday period with skepticism since it was a shorter season with six fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The good news is that the 2019 holiday season saw much stronger results than 2018's: shoppers spent an average of $197, a 17% increase from 2018, and their average order value was $59, a 23% increase from 2018.

"The official start of the commerce era is here. For companies today, the new frontier isn't a battle for browsing or search—it's a battle to be the starting point for commerce," said Michael Jaconi, Co-Founder and CEO of Button. "Companies that control the start of the buyer journey can influence what people buy, where they buy from, and how they pay. Heading into 2020, the companies that lean in on mobile's increasing status as a lean-in, action-oriented platform will emerge at the top."

Apps continue to dominate as a preferred shopping channel
Mobile shoppers are getting more comfortable using apps to make their holiday transactions: over Cyber Week, apps outpaced mobile web when it came to conversions (+86%) and orders per customer (+27%). The entire holiday season also offered a lift on installs: app installs were 46% higher over the holidays compared to the rest of 2019.

New customers spend more than active customers
New customers¹spent an average of $75 per order compared to active customers²who spent an average of $41 per order, demonstrating how holiday promotions work to attract people to spend more. Furthermore, new customers made up a whopping 81% of all customers over the holiday season and contributed to 52% of all holiday spending. On the flip side, while active consumers made up just 9% of all customers over the holiday season, they contributed to 32% of all holiday spending.

Instant Pots and AirPods flew off (digital) shelves
Once again, the Instant Pot 6-Quart Pressure Cooker reigns as the most purchased product of the 2019 holiday season. This is followed by Apple AirPods in second place and LEGO Classic Creative Fun Building Kit in third place. As for the most popular purchases by vertical, electronics, fashion, and office supplies dominated the retail category while NBA, NHL, and NFL tickets were the hottest items in the entertainment category.

Methodology
This report draws from Button Platform activity across more than 300 of the world's top brands and publishers that generated hundreds of millions in spending from November 24, 2019, to January 3, 2020. We respect the privacy of our partners and their customers, and hence only publish anonymized data. All transactions are converted to US dollars and all time zones have been localized.

Download the report
For more mobile insights and key takeaways for marketers, download the Button Mobile Commerce Report: 2019 Holiday Shopping Season Trends here.

About Button
Button (usebutton.com) is the mobile commerce optimization platform that enables companies to drive revenue through commerce in their mobile apps and websites. Through higher-converting technology, Button embeds commerce actions inside publisher apps so that brands can grow their mobile business, publishers can increase their mobile revenue, and consumers can enjoy a better buying experience on mobile. Intent is changing. By closing the gap between browsing and buying, Button has driven over $2 billion in spending to date. Founded in 2014, Button has raised over $64 million in venture capital and has consistently been recognized as one of the best places to work by Fortune, Inc., Entrepreneur, and Crain's.

^¹ New customers: Consumers who haven't made a purchase within the last year.
^² Active customers: Consumers who made a purchase 30 days before the holiday period started.

SOURCE Button