Mobile to Drive More In-Store Purchases than Actual Salespeople During Holidays

More reason for PacSun to invest in mobile in 2011.

We've long known consumers' trust in online reviews and peer recommendations is at an all-time high. As the adoption rate for more powerful web-capable mobile devices like smartphones and iPads, increases, consumers will only rely more heavily on online sources for recommendations.

According to an Ogilvy executive recently said during a Mobile Marketing Webinar, "Mobile will drive more sales in-store than actual salespeople this holiday season as consumers turn to the mobile Web and applications to research products, read reviews and compare prices..."

Some impressive numbers from Steve Madden: "... more than 10.5 percent of his company's total Web traffic is coming from mobile devices, representing 250 percent growth over the past six months.

The footwear brand sold 7,856 products in that time frame via mobile, generating $520,866 revenue, with an average order price of $83.70."

Read the rest here - some good info about SMS, mobile sites, and apps as well.

Prices SLASHED.

Upper-end retailers are cutting prices wayyy back this holiday season to create what they call "trip-driving items", purchases that will get people out of the house and into the mall. Some popular sale trends are "bogo", 40-80% additionally marked down from sale prices, changing bargains throughout the day and additional 20% off your purchase of $2,000+ [Macy's].

Despite these outrageous sales, retailers are still focusing attention on their seasonal campaigns promoting specific brands or products. Here's the full article from the New York Times.