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At least 1 out of every 4 Americans owns a smartphone and this number is only going up. Half of all Americans will likely have a smartphone by Dec. 2011 and the development is greatly changing the way that individuals shop and interact with retailers. Market research has identified a group known as mobile shopping warriors…in other words “hyper-connected individuals” who will account for 28 percent of The National Retail Federation’s consumer projections for holiday shopping. This means that over $125 million in purchases will be completed via mobile devices.
Since 73 percent of shoppers with smartphones would rather use their mobile devices to shop, it is certain that retailers with superior mobile and social media commerce strategies in place with have an advantage. 90 percent of smartphone users find apps to be useful and 48 percent of these folks have downloaded at least one retail app. Over half of smartphone users feel that having a smartphone makes shopping more enjoyable. New research from Ebay found that 24 percent of shoppers plan to use a mobile device to comparison shop this holiday season.
Taking these figures into consideration, it is definitely the time for retailers to focus on building their ecommerce strategies.
One company doing just that is Jewelry Television. The broadcast shopping network that focuses on the sale of fine jewelry and gemstones has made great strides to further connect with consumers by expanding from just TV broadcasting to an ecommerce and mobile commerce storefront. This will allow consumers to have an integrated shopping experience no matter where they happen to be — in front of their televisions, via their laptops or on the go with a mobile device.
JTV has also recently released a great mobile app that delivers streaming live video from the television broadcast, a location-based GPS channel finder, a virtual ring sizer and programming guide. The app educates and entertains users by providing high quality images, gemstone facts, a birthstone calendar and product features. A video overview of the application in action can be viewed below.
According to Janet Hoffman, managing director of Accenture Global Consulting, “Today’s tech-savvy consumer wants a seamless shopping experience across store, mobile or online at a time that suits them. Ultimately, this trend will lead to a new definition of the store; purpose, place and size are all up for debate. Already we are seeing some shoppers treating stores more like a showroom to test products and then making their purchase online.” Hoffman goes on to say that smartphones will permanently change the relationship between the store and the shopper.” Jewelry Television is definitely providing its customers with this seamless shopping experience and having much success with the new app.