Marketing Forecast from Ad-ology

Hispanics are early adopters of both tablets and smartphones, and also more likely than whites to go online using mobile devices. The high adoption rates for smartphones and tablets among Hispanics are likely due to the fact that they are on average a young group, and more likely to use mobile devices instead of landlines. Analysts expect this consumer segment to drive sales for device retailers and app stores in 2012.

Retailers are trying different tactics to coax customers who have abandoned carts to come back and complete their purchases. 52% of the surveyed merchants said that a reminder email was sent to customers who abandoned their cart; an image of the item left in the cart was displayed in 50% of the emails. Some type of incentive to complete the transaction was also provided in 20% of the emails.

As the number of consumers purchasing and using tablets continues to grow, so do expectations for what the web experience should be like on their new devices. eMarketer estimates that the number of tablet users in the U.S. alone will climb to 89.5 million in 2014, from 54.8 million this year. According to a recent survey, 69% of those polled wanted websites to load in 2 seconds or less on tablets.

The tablet market is poised to accommodate new form factors and accessory options that will bring these devices closer to the capabilities of notebooks, according to a new report from The NPD Group. As tablets expand from content consumption to content creation, consumers are seeking a broader array of input options and screen sizes. Among consumers who are looking to purchase a new tablet, screen size and keyboards are important characteristics for these future purchases.

eReaders are growing in popularity, as almost three in ten U.S. adults (28%) are using an electronic reader device to read books, according to a new Harris Poll. Almost three-quarters of eReader users are reading 6 or more books in an average year. Looking ahead, 13% of Americans say they are likely to purchase an eReader in the next six months.

Apple’s digital assistant Siri has serious potential to change how people use their smartphones, mostly by streamlining the fast-growing smartphone shopping experience both in, near and out of stores. As the use of personal assistants like Siri grows, mobile shopping will happen more frequently and easily. eMarketer estimates that 68.6 million Americans will use a smartphone to conduct mobile research and browsing activities this year.