The new iPad goes on sale in the UK today (March 16) with many industry insiders expecting it to have a major impact on ecommerce.
The latest Apple device, referred to as the iPad 3 or iPad HD, is faster, comes with Wi-Fi and 4G connects, and has better graphics and resolution.
As with previous Apple launches, excited fans were queuing through the night outside stores and the high volume sales are widely anticipated.
Graham Jones, general manager of PriceGrabber, says there has been a dramatic surge in mobile shopping over the last 12 months shopping, and predicts this trend will continue.
“With the use of smartphones and tablet computers becoming increasingly common, consumers appear to be more readily embracing mobile as a go-to platform for shopping that can be easily accessed anywhere, anytime.
“We expect mobile shopping to be game-changing as consumers increasingly enact various strategies to find the best prices and retailers inevitably expand their mobile presence.”
Andy Atalla, founder of digital marketing agency atom42, says the use of applications has changed consumer behaviour and any ecommerce store which hasn’t yet appreciated this point must do so now.
“The main point is that with ecommerce you want to make it as easy as possible for people to buy from you,” he says.
“On a mobile device you tend to download an App and then with one click you are in the store.
“This bypasses search so the competition doesn’t get a look in and takes away the possibility of being undercut on price.”
Crucially, for ecommerce sellers the new iPad will lead to an increase in the numbers of people using tablet devices to access the internet.
“The iPad 3, most importantly, will lower the price of the iPad 2, which puts the iPad 2 in that many more hands,” says Diane Buzzeo, founder of ecommerce software provider Ability Commerce.
“The trickle-down effect is that people who love their iPad 2 will run out and buy the new iPad and give their old iPad 2 to their brother, sister or kids – so it keeps expanding.”
The technical qualities of the new iPad might also make online stores think again about how they are presenting themselves.
“The new iPad has better graphics and a higher resolution, so online stores need to make sure their apps are well designed and look good,” says Atalla.
“I think for most of my clients, their websites already render well on an iPad, so I don’t think there’s much I would suggest they do today which they shouldn’t have done six months ago.
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