Report: Mcommerce generated holiday spending growth in 2010

According to a recent report from MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse, the 2010 holiday shopping season was marked by a 15 percent increase in spend, led by new trends in mcommerce that allowed shoppers to interact with retailers in new ways. Overall, ecommerce retailers generated approximately $36.4 billion during the season, as mobile devices were used significantly for the first time and online apparel purchases grew to an 18 percent share of clothing sales, the report said.

The increase in ecommerce and mobile spending on apparel items helped create overall growth in the ecommerce and mcommerce industries, as companies capitalized on consumers more willing to purchase clothing from online merchants.

"This is the season of the sweater. What is driving this is that apparel sales online are doing well in general, represented by a shift from brick-and-mortar stores. The weather has helped, too," said Michael McNamara, vice president of research and analysis at SpendingPulse.

The study found almost all companies benefited from mcommerce and ecommerce growth. Department stores were able to use mobile technologies to help shoppers find what they wanted in stores, online retailers were able to gain business through increased comparison shopping, and companies with mcommerce plans were able to reach a wider base of consumers through the growing technology.

Large brick-and-mortar stores have been the only losers in this equation, the study found. Because consumers can use mcommerce tools to compare prices while in a physical store, many department stores noticed customers turning to discount online outlets to make their purchases. However, mcommerce applications are also making it easier for shoppers to make purchases at retail locations, negating some of the negative implications of mobile shopping.

A recent MultiChannelMerchant report claims 2010 was the year that mcommerce finally emerged as a leading new technology in the retail industry. The report said mcommerce may have influenced more purchases in 2010 than social media outlets, such as Twitter and Facebook.

Citing research from IDI Retail Insights, the report said mcommerce impacted 28 percent of all holiday shopping in 2010. This statistic does not only speak to the number of purchases made through mobile devices during the holiday season, it also addresses the many purchases that are influenced by consumers using their mobile devices to find stores, research products, compare prices and browse for items.