As I recently told you, the number of tablet users is growing more rapidly than many experts had predicted -- and that number will likely soar even higher with Apple's release of the iPad 3. To add to the frenzy, the amount of money these tablet devotees are spending on e-commerce via their devices is skyrocketing, too. A new study by Adobe of visitors to top e-commerce sites found that tablet visitors spent 21 percent more per purchase in 2011 than desktop/laptop visitors, and a whopping 54 percent more than smartphone visitors.
In addition, tablet visitors were almost three times more likely to make an online purchase than smartphone visitors -- their likelihood of purchasing was close to that of desktop/laptop visitors. Adobe suggests that the flexibility of the tablet experience compared to a smartphone, as well as the demographics of typical tablet users -- affluent, male and between 18 and 34 years old -- contribute to their higher spending.
Why it matters to your business: If you needed more reason to focus on a tablet strategy for your e-commerce business, here it is. Desirable customers are spending lots of time browsing on their tablets -- shouldn't they be browsing in your store? Adobe also found the weekend was peak time for shopping on tablets -- so time your marketing emails and offers accordingly.