Toys R Us Shoppers Have High Mobile Capacity, Presenting Challenges for the Toy Giant this Holiday Season

Worthington, OH – 11/21/2013
While toys remain one of the hottest holiday gift categories this year, with overall planned holiday spending down from 2012, budgets for Barbie, LEGOs, and other popular children’s toys are likely to shrink, leading shoppers to seek out the best possible prices to ensure a happy holiday season for all this year. Certainly, with consumers  adhering to smart shopping strategies honed during the recession, more shoppers will be employing their mobile devices to help aid in purchase decisions than ever before. Therefore, it is essential to know which shoppers are engaging most with their mobile shopping companion and to understand if it’s for better or worse.

The latest findings from Prosper Insights & Analytics indicate that, among toy retailers profiled, Toys R Us (137.6) has the shoppers with the highest Mobile Aptitude score, followed by Amazon (121.7) and Target (117.4).

“Mobile technology provides great opportunity to reach and influence shoppers, but it also can be a challenge for retailers,” said Pam Goodfellow, Principal Analyst, Prosper. “Toys R Us shoppers have a strong Mobile Aptitude Score, but they didn’t make our holiday winners list. This top toy destination will likely feel the effects of ‘showrooming’ with its shoppers and ultimately end up losing sales to Amazon, Target, and other retailers that may be offering better prices this season.”

On the other side of the coin, Walmart, Kohl’s and Kmart’s shoppers’ mobile aptitude all index lower than the general population.

Mobile Aptitude Score for Shoppers* from Select Retailers:

Toys R Us–137.6
Amazon–121.7
Target–117.4
Walmart–98.0
Kohl’s–88.1
Kmart–70.6

Source: Prosper Insights & Analytics

*Shoppers are defined as those who indicate through an unaided, write-in question that they shop that particular retailer most often for at least one merchandise category.

To be read as: Score of 100 is flat to general population; Score of 105 indicates mobile aptitude is 5% higher than the general population

For more Holiday 2013 information and to view the report, click here.

About the Prosper Mobile Aptitude Score
The Mobile Aptitude Score considers various mobile shopping and mobile usage behaviors to provide marketers with a better understanding of shoppers’ propensity towards mobile media. It is an indicator of how mobile savvy specific consumer groups are compared to the total population.  This unique index considers mobile ownership, usage (including apps and coupon redemption), comparison shopping, influence to purchase, researching and purchasing products, and other factors. For complimentary access to the Mobile Aptitude Score and other insights relating to mobile, visit www.ProsperMobileInsights.com.

About Prosper Insights & Analytics™
Prosper Insights & Analytics provides advanced business intelligence using sophisticated analytical software to examine big datasets and provide answers to executives via its cloud-based InsightCenter™ platform powered by Prosper Technologies. By integrating a variety of data including economic, behavioral and attitudinal data, Prosper Insights & Analytics delivers insights for executive decision making. Further, it is continually identifying unique insights through analytics to enable marketers to make knowledge-based decisions rather than relying on intuition. To learn more: www.ProsperDiscovery.com

Contact:
Chrissy Wissinger
Director, Communications
chrissy(at)goProsper(dot)com

Stacie Severs
Client Services & Marketing Director
stacie(at)goProsper(dot)com

614-846-0146

Prosper Mobile Aptitude Scores for Toy Retailers: Toys R Us, Amazon and Target Have More Mobile-Minded Shoppers