Demandware®, Inc. (NYSE: DWRE), the industry-leading provider of enterprise cloud commerce solutions, today released the findings of its Q3 2015 Shopping Index, which among other trends shows shopper behavior continuing its sharp turn to phones from tablets and other devices.

The Demandware Shopping Index measures digital commerce growth and identifies the trends driving that growth based on analysis of same site activity over time.

The most recent Demandware Shopping Index reveals that shopper attraction, which measures the number of shoppers, drove 84% of the digital commerce growth in Q3 2015. In addition, shopper spend, which combines site visit frequency, conversion rate and average order value (AOV), drove 16% of the growth. The combination of shopper spend and shopping attraction yields the Demandware Shopping Index of +25% for Q3.

Phone-first: Tablets continue losing ground

Analysis of the Demandware data shows that shoppers continue voting with their thumbs – and more and more shoppers choose phones as their shopping device of choice. Indeed, the “middle-child” devices – tablets – appear to be falling from favor just as quickly as phones rise to prominence, with Demandware data indicating that tablet share is off 22% from its peak near 15% of visits in early 2014. With tablets now holding just 11% of all traffic, a continued slide seems likely.

“Far from the predictions that tablets will take over digital commerce, what we’re seeing instead is phones as the primary source of growth for visits, baskets and now orders, too. In fact, phones are the ONLY device showing gains in traffic, accounting for 119% of the growth in visits,” said Rick Kenney, Head of Consumer Insights at Demandware. “Based on this data, Demandware is advising retailers that phone-first is not a luxury – it’s a requirement. Every shopping experience should be designed for mobile, including quick load times, full-feature sites and symmetry across devices and into a brand’s marketing and commerce experiences.”

When are your shoppers most active?

The Demandware Shopping Index is for the first time tracking peak times when tablet and phone orders are highest. This data on “dayparting” – the practice of segmenting the day and targeting specifically – offers retailers big opportunities to engage consumers and capture their attention. The Demandware data indicate that orders are highest from 7-8 pm (normalized to local time zones), with tablet and phone orders highest from 8-9 pm and computer orders peaking between 9-10 am. Monday is the day when orders peak generally, with tablets and phone orders highest on Sunday, and Saturday being the day when orders are lowest. The highest volume of orders was placed on Monday between 7-8 pm. Retailers may secure market advantages from leveraging competitive weapons such as dayparting and other tools.

Additional Global Findings

  • Market Share Shift Continues – Phones are taking even more share from both computers and tablets – phones are now on the verge of overtaking computers as the biggest traffic-driving device – with both order share and visit share up 44% globally on phones.
  • More ‘Shopping Interruptions’ – Total phone domination comes with a draw-back: more “shopping interruptions” due to short-duration visits. Average time per visit in Q3 was 9.4 minutes, down 3% from last year, while average time per phone visit in Q3 was 8.4 minutes – down 12%.
  • A Slow Rate of Discount Creep – While shoppers continue to seek and find discounts and free shipping, the rate of discount creep is slow. On an average order value of $123, shoppers are averaging a 13% discount – almost identical to the 12% shoppers saved in Q2.
  • U.K. Shoppers Love Their Phones –The U.K. showed a dramatic shift in traffic share by device, with computers losing 20% of the Q3 2014 share. This loss was gobbled up by phones, which jumped 66% from 2014 to 2015 – bringing phones even with computers in this market, with each enjoying 40% traffic share.

“The Demandware data from this quarter tell us that phones continue to take a greater chunk of share from both computers and tablets, with phones now on the verge of overtaking computers as the biggest traffic-driving device,” said Elana Anderson, SVP Worldwide Marketing, Demandware. “With the holiday shopping season now upon us, retailers should be thinking not only about delivering a unified shopping experience across devices, but also about how to go beyond the content of the pages and aim for greater cross-device recognition and personalization. Those who can seamlessly bridge shopping actions like carting and merchandizing preferences will win shopper respect – and orders.”

Get the full Q3 2015 Demandware Shopping Index here.

About The Demandware Shopping Index

The Demandware Shopping Index measures digital commerce growth and is the product of two key attributes consumers display on sites transacting on the Demandware Commerce Cloud—shopping attraction and shopper spend. The index represents an analysis of same site data over time and incorporates the behavioral data of over 200 million shoppers interacting with those sites. Demandware sourced data from digital commerce sites transacting on the Demandware Commerce Cloud that were live during Q3 of both 2015 and 2014. The index and the corresponding set of key digital commerce metrics will be published quarterly.

About Demandware

Demandware, the category defining leader of enterprise cloud commerce solutions, empowers the world’s leading retailers to continuously innovate in our complex, consumer-driven world. Demandware’s open cloud platform provides unique benefits including seamless innovation, the LINK ecosystem of integrated best-of-breed partners, and community insight to optimize customer experiences. These advantages enable Demandware customers to lead their markets and grow faster. For more information, visit http://www.demandware.com, call +1-888-553-9216 or email info@demandware.com.

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