Holiday Shopping Moves to the Cell Phone

Cellphones are becoming a huge part of the holiday shopping experience, according to a report released Wednesday by the Mobile Marketing Association and Luth Research. Based on a Luth's survey of about 1,000 adults, about 60% of U.S. consumers plan to use their cellphones to find and buy gifts this holiday season.

Approximately two-thirds of these so-called mobile holiday shoppers will use their phones to get information on products before going to a store, while one in eight will use their smartphones to actually make purchases, the Mobile Marketing Association predicts. Shoppers are most likely to seek music, consumer electronics and books via their phones during the holidays, the trade group says.

More brick-and-mortar retailers are using the Internet to market their products as they battle online-only companies like Amazon.com (AMZN), which could help cellphone shoppers get more information on possible gifts. Online retail spending has outpaced overall spending all year, according to research firm ComScore, which forecast that trend will continue during the holiday season.