Nearly half of respondents to a recent poll shopped online on Black Friday last November, whereas only 26 percent shopped in store on the same day, according to a Clustrix survey of 200 consumers.
By contrast, 61 percent of consumers shopped online on Cyber Monday in 2014, and almost 60 percent of survey respondents received and opened inbound emails with Cyber Monday deals.
The survey also revealed that for 74 percent, better shipping rates and other options influenced their Cyber Monday purchasing decisions.
In accordance with the growth of e-commerce overall, this online-focused shopping day has overtaken Black Friday as the largest shopping day of the year.
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Forty-nine percent of respondents reported spending up to $500 dollars on Black Friday. Similarly, 48 percent of respondents spent up to $500 on Cyber Monday.
With 76 percent of consumers shopping on their mobile device, the survey confirmed that more money is not only being spent online, it’s being spent on mobile devices as well.
"Consumers continuously shift between mobile, desktop and tablet throughout the day, so digital storefronts and shopping carts should ideally be mirrored on these devices," Mike Azevedo, Clustrix CEO, told eWEEK. "By optimizing for mobile, customers can continue their shopping experience wherever they are, subsequently increasing sales."
According to survey findings, sales and promotions are a sure way to drive website traffic and purchases.
The vast majority of consumers (87 percent) would be more likely to buy an item because it was on sale, with 11 percent of those saying they would be inclined to buy an item just because it was on sale, regardless of the item.
Findings revealed that two-thirds of respondents prefer to buy their holiday gifts online. Similarly, outside of the holiday season, 62 percent of respondents prefer to shop online.
"Mobile e-commerce revenue stood at $42.13 billion in 2013, and forecasts indicate that number could grow to $132.69 billion by 2018, according to eMarketer," Azevedo explained. "As such, if your e-commerce website isn't optimized for mobile, your business will likely take a major loss on potential sale opportunities."
According to the research, 43 percent of consumers experienced website performance issues while shopping online this holiday season. Issues included slow loading pages and images and failed pages. Of those who experienced website performance issues, 64 percent left the website, with almost 30 percent seeking out another vendor.
Additionally, 12 percent took further action and commented on these issues through social media.
"If your website cannot handle increased website traffic, your best sales day could become your last. It’s crucial that your database is able to support your growing e-commerce business," Azevedo said. "It should be able to handle traffic spikes with ease, possess exceptional search functionality and superior customer service and payment options. Especially in periods of peak traffic, unprepared e-commerce sites can function improperly if they’re not equipped to handle heavy loads."
Azevedo said that by leveraging a scale-out, fault-tolerant database, businesses can ensure that their website will provide customers with a seamless shopping experience.
