Just when we thought we knew of all the benefits of at home broadband, a new report indirectly reminds us of another benefit: Money-saving Internet-only deals during Cyber Monday.
This week, the affiliate marketing company Skimlinks released a report featuring insights on the ways internet users make purchases from ads and links they happen upon while browsing their favorite websites.
It revealed that while consumers do a lot of clicking around using their mobile phones, at work especially, they are less likely to eventually convert those clicks into sales until they get home and can access their desktop computers.
Partially this is true because many merchants’ websites are not optimized for mobile browsing and to enable them to click the deal.
Another reason is that Internet users prefer larger screens which can give them a broader view of a website layout of an eCommerce site. To that end, tablets have the highest conversion rates with computer desktops coming in second and mobile phones a distant third.
This information is also illuminating for those working on increasing broadband access to more homes.
It’s well known that there are certain functions that are better done on a desktop with in-home broadband access: for school children needing to do school reports and homework, for the elderly and shut in for telemedicine or tele-triage when they cannot get to a doctor, and for job seekers needing to apply for work in the comfort privacy of their personal home. In all these scenarios, private in-home access trumps a public computer at say, the library or a community center.
The Skimlinks report shows that those without in-home broadband also miss out on the chance to capitalize on deals that come with on-line shopping as many times the price for Internet purchases are substantially lower than in brick and mortar stores.
And those without in-home access are usually from lower-income households and should be getting the benefits of cost-savings on needed high ticket items.
Here are the other key findings from the report which can be accessed here:
- Mobile phones account for over 20% of impressions and 18% of clicks among publishers…Yet, this device is only worth 10% of the sales volume driven by publishers
- Tablets have the highest conversion rate (3.87% on average), as well as the highest sales value proportionally with 11% of impressions vs 18% of sales value
- Computers remain the preferred device with over 60% of clicks, sales and sales value
- In terms of publisher types, Blogs and Forums drive the most sales on mobile phones and tablets
- Publishers in the categories of Lifestyle/Interest Groups and Technology are at the forefront of the mobile trend and the ones who drive the most commissions from mobile phones and tablets.
Efforts currently under way to change the Internet and how it is regulate, for the most part, fail to address looming access gaps that will force underrepresented communities further behind the eight ball of opportunities.
Jay Jay Ghatt is also editor at Techyaya.com, founder of the JayJayGhatt.com and JayJayGhatt.com where she teaches online creators how to navigate digital entrepreneurship and offers Do-It-For-You Blogging Service. She manages her lifestyle sites BellyitchBlog, Jenebaspeaks and JJBraids.com and is the founder of BlackWomenTech.com 200 Black Women in Tech On Twitter. Her biz podcast 10 Minute Podcast is available on iTunes and Player.fm. Follow her on Twitter at @Jenebaspeaks. Buy her templates over at her legal and business templates on Etsy shop!
