ARMONK, N.Y., Nov. 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE:
IBM) predicts Cyber Monday online sales will grow by more than 18
percent compared to 2014. Driven by a surge in mobile shopping,
consumers indicate that Samsung, Sony and LG TVs as well as Apple
Watch and Beats by Dre are at the top of their shopping lists,
according to the IBM Watson Trend App.
IBM Watson Trend features the hottest 100 consumer electronics,
toys and health and fitness products at any given time and is
available for free download in the Apple App Store. For Cyber
Monday IBM has identified the following popular products and the
stories behind them:
- Nike Shoes: Watson
discovered consumers are flocking to brands that offer "barefoot
running" or "natural running" shoes marketed to help prevent
injury. Watson found that Nike
shoe owners in particular are talking about Nike's Free, the Air
Max and Flyknit Racing Shoes, which offer color, design and
versatility as both athletic and casual footwear.
- Skylanders: Skylanders has helped drive the toys-to-life
video game movement, where physical and virtual worlds merge.
According to Watson, excitement
around the latest version is less about new characters or vehicles,
but the ability to play the game on multiple screens. Ironically,
parents are also drawn to the game because many children choose to
turn off the screen and play with Skylanders action figures.
- Star Wars Droids: Star Wars mania extends beyond Legos.
Watson has identified growing
excitement around the new R2-D2 Astromech Interactive Droid that
walks, spins, and turns its head realistically. According to
Watson, R2-D2 is being hailed by
many as the perfect gift for Star Wars fans. Watson has also identified buzz around the
pricier BB-8 that responds to human voice-commands and shows and
records holographic videos.
- Hoverboard: Hoverboards bring consumers one step closer
to the fictional product that debuted in the 1985 film Back to
the Future. Watson finds that
conversations around these single-wheeled self-balancing scooters
are driven by high-profile celebrities like Wiz Khalifa and Usain Bolt. Called the Razor
scooter of the 2010s, Watson finds
that Hoverboards are popular amongst tech-lovers and boarders of
all ages.
IBM has also identified the fastest trending products for Cyber
Monday These are based on impact (size of the conversation) and
momentum (the rate of growth of the conversation):
- Nintendo 3DS XL
- Brother Printers
- EPSON Printers
- JBL Speakers
- Motorola Moto X Cell Phone
In addition to popular products and trends, IBM also reports
that the weekend leading up to Cyber Monday has set the stage for
strong online sales today. IBM Watson Trend identified the
following shopping insights from this past Saturday and Sunday:
- Online Sales on the Rise: Online sales for the weekend
were up 25.5 percent over the same weekend in 2014.
- Consumers Cash in on Weekend Deals: The average order
value for the mobile and desktop shopper combined for the weekend
were $130.57, up 5.5 percent over
2014.
- Tablets Out Spend Desktops: Tablets average order value
of $140.70 exceeded that of desktops,
which ended the day at $138.30.
Smartphone shoppers spent $111.29 per
order, an increase of 6.1 percent over 2014.
- Smartphones Shoppers Dominate: Smartphones remained the
shopper's device of choice. Smartphones accounted for 44 percent of
all online traffic, more than three times that of tablets at 14.1
percent. Smartphones surpassed tablets in sales, driving 18.6
percent of online sales (up 65.7 percent over 2014) versus
tablets at 17.7 percent.
IBM Watson Trend leverages natural language and machine learning
technologies to uncover consumer preferences, pinpoint patterns and
trends and reveal why people are choosing certain products or
brands. IBM Watson Trend also features predictive analytics that
allow it to forecast if a particular trend is a fleeting fad or
will continue to remain strong.
To learn more about IBM Watson Trend and to download the app
please click here. For a real-time look at how consumers are
shopping across the desktop, tablets and smartphones please click
here.
Doug Fraim
IBM Media Relations
1 (617) 501-6376
Lizette Kodama
IBM Media Relations
1 (646) 675-0750
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SOURCE IBM