U.S. Mobile Shopping Offsets Drop in Last-Minute Mall Traffic

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By Jason Abbruzzese2013-12-24 16:30:30 UTC

Need to go to the mall? Baby, it's cold outside.

Shoppers unwilling to brave the elements for a final weekend of holiday shopping (although the East Coast didn't exactly have a frigid weekend) took to their phones and tablets to order last-minute knickknacks.

See also: The 10 Best Mobile Games of 2013

PayPal logged a 96% increase in the number of customers shopping on mobile devices from Dec. 21 to 22 compared to the last weekend before Christmas in 2012, according to data from the online payment company. The growth falls in line with the holiday trend of embracing mobile shopping, including a third straight year in which Black Friday weekend mobile shopping has more than doubled from the previous year.

It's not all good news for retailers, however. That growth has been offset by a decline in mall traffic despite shops offering deep discounts, according to data from ShopperTrak. Retailers rely on a strong holiday season to meet end-of-year targets.

A soft holiday sales season would be a downbeat cap to an otherwise strong year from U.S. consumers, whose spending accounts for about two-thirds of U.S. GDP. The recovering economy, including a falling unemployment rate and rising home prices, has offset weak overall income growth to help provide shoppers in the U.S. with some extra cash to spend.

Gifters who may have spent less than usual may be rewarded for their patience. Stores desperate to sell extra inventory are already offering steep discounts.

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Image: AFP/Getty Images

Topics: Business, Mobile, mobile shopping, e-commerce, paypal