SmartPhone Shopping Takes Off Ahead of Cyber Monday

JC Penney says more people visited its website on Thanksgiving Day than any other day this year.  Most checked in on their phones and other mobile devices.

Amazon says its mobile app orders on Thanksgiving Day were up more than 50 percent from last year.

And Adobe Analytics, the research arm of software maker Adobe, says 46 percent of online store-site visits on Thanksgiving came from a smartphone and 29 percent of revenue came from smartphones.

On Friday, many consumers also started the day using their phones.  By 10 a.m. Eastern time, Adobe says 51 percent of visits to retailer's websites were through a smartphone.

"Retailers know this is where the audience is now and are delivering better experiences," says Mickey Mericle, Adobe's vice president of marketing and customer insights.

Retailers are ready to face an onslaught of cyber shopping on Monday, traditionally known as "Cyber Monday."  Adobe expects that shoppers will spend $6.6 billion, up 16 percent from last year. 

Walmart has tripled the number of online products it's selling compared to last year.  Target will offer 15 percent off everything on its site on Monday.  Amazon will sells discounted gadgets for similar prices offered on Black Friday. 

The all-out effort to attract shoppers over the Thanksgiving week-end is important, say retailers, because it can be an indication of how they'll perform throughout the Christmas season.