We have a new milestone: mobile orders exceeded desktop orders for the first time this past Saturday on Bridge. This is notable because desktop orders have historically beat mobile orders.
Shoppers choose the mobile route on Saturday because they are most likely out of the office and on the go. But why had mobile not trumped desktop before? We believe that mobile-based purchases are increasing as shoppers get more comfortable with mobile (aka they are making more mobile purchases for other services) and they are upgrading to more powerful smartphones.
Historically, retail and gift registry purchasing have lagged behind other industries in mobile adoption. Travel websites saw mobile interaction overtake desktop activity years ago. This stands to reason as travel decisions are more likely to be made while traveling.
I predict that we'll see more weekends where the mobile beats desktops, and that this trend will eventually spill over to Fridays.
That brings us to the question: how many retailers' website are mobile friendly? A store will want to confirm that its website is 'responsive,' which means that it conforms to the device--whether its desktop or mobile. The New York Times took a creative approach to testing its mobile friendliness when it forced its staff to use its mobile site for week.