Sealing a kiss with a smartphone

Consumers we’re using their smartphones and tablets to show their love to their honeys this Valentine’s Day. 10.1% of total web sales were made on smartphones and tablets during the week leading up to Feb. 14, according to the IBM Smarter Commerce Benchmark. That’s nearly triple the 3.9% for the same period last year.

As shown in other studies of mobile traffic in general, Apple Inc. has a lock on popularity among mobile shoppers. 5.5% of total web traffic during the week leading up to Feb. 14 came from Apple’s iPhones, 4.9% from Apple’s iPads and 4.4% from devices running Google Inc.’s Android mobile operating system, IBM finds.

Certain product categories were of course more popular than others for the Valentine’s Day holiday. 28.8% of mobile sales were jewelry, 17.7% intimate apparel, 15.1% health and beauty, and 9.9% flowers and gifts.

“The Valentine’s data is proof positive that the online and mobile shopping habits witnessed over the November and December holidays are not fleeting,” IBM says. “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.”