‘Click Frenzy’: 2012 “Biggest Internet Xmas” EVER

2012 will be “Australia’s biggest online Christmas yet” Google Australia predicts.

This bold prediction comes as a whopping 40% of shopping searches on Google OZ come from smartphones or tablets, meaning going mobile is now the name of the game for both consumers and retailers.

In fact, the number of queries coming from mobile devices like the iPad and Samsung’s S3 has more than doubled in the past year, Google Australia said today. 

But it’s not just about one screen – consumers are now moving between multiple screens: they may begin by looking for a gift or store location on mobile but make their final purchases in a physical store or on a desktop PC.

The search giant has reported a 20% increase in shopping-related searches compared to same time in 2011 as Aussies search and  increasingly order goods directly online.

JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys and Myer are just some of the major retailers with mobile optimised sites and the list is growing rapidly.

This comes as Click Frenzy, Australia’s 24hr online discount day, similar to Black Friday in the US, hits next Tuesday November 20, promising up to 90% discounts on all sorts of goods, with hundreds of retailers including Bing Lee, Direct Deals and David Jones all taking part.

Traditionally, retail searches will accelerate “rapidly” through November, but will peak the week before Christmas and  continue until Christmas Eve, past Google data has shown.

“As consumers branch out from smartphones into new types of devices like tablets, the mobile revolution is expanding to multiple screens,” says Ross McDonald, Google Australia’s Industry Leader for Local & Retail.

But among Google’s larger advertisers, only 1 in 3 has a mobile friendly website – and that number is even below 30% for small to medium businesses.

“Retailers need to mobilise, and fast. It is no longer enough for businesses to get online–they need to be found wherever the web is, on every screen, or risk losing out,” warns McDonald. 

2 in 3 customers say mobile friendly sites make them more likely to buy or use a good or service, a recent Google survey has shown.

However 50% say that a bad mobile experience makes them less likely to engage with a company. However, the survey was conducted in the US, where web shopping is far more commonplace.

Google is offering retailers a simple and free “mobile-friendly website” that provides essential information like contact details, store hours, and location, taking advantage of free online tools such as Google’s free mobile site builder, which provides a free mobile-optimised website for one year at: www.howtogomo.com/au.