When shopping for gifts for their loved ones, many consumers used their smartphones as their primary shopping tools. According to the IBM Smarter Commerce Benchmark, approximately 10.1 percent of total Valentine's Day sales were made via smartphones, up nearly threefold from the same time frame in 2011.

Apple's mobile devices continued to be the most popular shopping tools for American consumers. Approximately 5.5 percent of total web traffic stemmed from the iPhone and 4.9 percent came from the iPad. By comparison, Google's Android accounted for only 4.4 percent of mobile traffic.

"The Valentine’s data is proof positive that the online and mobile shopping habits witnessed over the November and December holidays are not fleeting," the IBM report noted. "Rather, a permanent change is in effect with the empowered consumer turning to mobile devices not just for blockbuster shopping days but for all holidays in between."

Jewelry, intimate apparel, health and beauty products and flowers were the most popular items sold through mobile devices.

A forecast from the National Retail Federation for Valentine's Day suggested that spending would be up considerably this year compared to 2011.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012 at 9:37 am .