Tablets beat smartphones when it comes to online shopping

It seems tablet computers have quickly become a favourite tool of regular online shoppers. A new report by Forrester Research shows that tablets could very soon outpace shopping via desktops and smartphones.
While only 9% of US shoppers have tablets (iPads and Android devices like the Samsung Tab) they account for a whopping 20% of m-commerce sales in the States. 60% of tablets owners use their devices to shop online.
Sucharita Mulpuru, an e-commerce analyst at Forrester who co-wrote the report, says tablets have distinct advantages for the online shopper – the ability to flip through a print catalog, with big photos and rich imagery. “Everyone thinks that mobile phones and mobile commerce are the next big things, and I think what this data shows is it’s probably actually tablets,” said Mulpuru. “Retailers can also send personalised catalogs to customers’ tablets based on their interests and purchase history.”
Tablets give retailers and brands an unbelievable opportunity to show off their wares. “The element of discovery is missing online, because most people go to Google, and Google isn’t about discovering something online, it’s about typing something into a search box,” says Mulpuru.
While more people are shopping on smartphones, they use them mostly for comparing prices, cashing in mobile coupons and sharing deals with their social networks. The small screens prove very frustrating when entering credit card details as most e-commerce sites are not built for the mobile web.