IN THE NEWS

Mobile shopping transforms holiday retail season

If the crowds at the mall seem a bit thinner this holiday season, it may be because more shoppers are at home, buying gifts on an iPad.

This year more consumers than ever before are expected to rely on their mobile gadgets as holiday shopping companions. There’s even a name for it: “couch commerce.”

Consumers are turning to smartphones and tablets not only to make purchases, but also for coupons and promotions, to search for gifts and compare prices. Mobile spending is expected to approach $10 billion during the last three months of this year, according to Internet technology firm com­Score, up from $7.2 billion on mobile devices in the fourth quarter of 2012.

More than 40 percent of shoppers will use their mobile devices for holiday shopping this year, according to several studies from research groups.
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San Jose Mercury News

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