iOS Remains More Popular Than Android for Holiday Shopping in the U.S.

iphone_5c_store_heroThe majority of online orders from mobile devices on Christmas day were placed by iOS users rather than Android users, according to a new report from IBM. 23 percent of total online sales on Christmas in the United States were made from iOS devices, while just 4.6 percent were made from Android devices. Overall online traffic from iOS devices was at 32.6 percent, compared to 14.8 percent for Android.

As a percentage of total online sales, iOS was more than five times higher than Android, driving 23 percent vs. 4.6 percent for Android. On average, iOS users spent $93.94 per order, nearly twice that of Android users, who spent $48.10 per order. iOS also led as a component of overall traffic with 32.6 percent vs. 14.8 percent for Android.

iOS users also spent nearly twice as much on their online orders, with the average order coming in at $93.94 compared to $48.10 per order from Android devices. When comparing tablets to smartphones, consumers made more purchases via tablets (19.4 percent vs. 9.3 percent) on smartphones and paid slightly more than smartphone users.

Overall online sales were up 16.5 percent in 2013, with mobile sales surging up to nearly 29 percent of all online traffic for a year-over-year gain of 40 percent.

IBM's data was gathered using its IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark, which analyzes data from approximately 800 retail sites in the United States. The company saw similar sales numbers during Black Friday, where iOS was responsible for 18.1 percent of sales with an average order amount of $127.92, compared to 3.5 percent and $105.20 for Android.

Popular Stories

Apple Shopping Event 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Black Friday Event, Here's What You Can Get

Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others. During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These New Features to Your iPhone

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date. Keep reading...
hikawa phone grip stand apple%402x

Apple Launches Second Limited-Edition iPhone Accessory in a Month

Friday November 21, 2025 3:53 am PST by
Apple has begun selling the Hikawa Phone Grip and Stand, a new limited-edition iPhone accessory designed with accessibility in mind. Designed by LA-based Bailey Hikawa to celebrate the 40th anniversary of accessibility at Apple, the grip uses magnets to securely snap onto any iPhone with MagSafe. Apple says it can be removed with ease, and doubles as a stand with two different viewing...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday November 19, 2025 4:00 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
ipad black friday 2025

The Best Early Black Friday iPad Deals

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:20 am PST by
Black Friday is just over a week away, and iPad deals have finally started to flood in at retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. Below we're tracking discounts on every current generation iPad, including lowest-ever prices on M3 iPad Air and M5 iPad Pro, plus steep markdowns on iPad and iPad mini. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a ...
ipad mini 7 feature red and blue

iPad Mini 8: Four Major New Features to Expect

Wednesday November 19, 2025 7:50 am PST by
Apple's eighth-generation iPad mini is highly likely to arrive next year, offering a significant refresh of the device with at least four major new features. OLED Display The next-generation version of the iPad mini could feature an OLED display, as part of Apple's plan to expand the display technology across many more of its devices. Apple's first OLED device was the Apple Watch in 2015, ...
watchos 26 workout app

Apple Watch Users Claim Workout App Is Now Worse in Every Way

Thursday November 20, 2025 7:01 am PST by
Apple Watch owners have been voicing their frustration online over changes to the Workout app that Apple introduced in watchOS 26, with many finding the redesigned interface makes starting exercises difficult and exasperating. When Apple launched watchOS 26 in September, the Workout app went from large, easily tapped workout tiles to a scrolling, corner-button interface. Instead of tapping a ...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Two More U.S. States Commit to Offering iPhone Driver's Licenses in Apple Wallet App

Thursday November 20, 2025 8:21 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Earlier this week, Illinois became the 13th state in the U.S. to offer the feature. Subsequently, we shared a list of additional states that are committed...
android iphone airdrop quickshare

iPhone Users Can Now AirDrop Files to Android Devices

Thursday November 20, 2025 9:47 am PST by
Google today announced a new cross-platform feature that allows for file sharing between iPhone and Android users. With AirDrop on the iPhone and QuickShare on Pixel 10 devices, there is a new file transfer function available. The file sharing option works on Apple devices that include iPhone, iPad, and Mac, along with the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Fold....

Top Rated Comments

RMo Avatar
155 months ago
He can be excused for not getting this from a first reading, it was confusingly written. I had to go to the source article to be sure about what was being said here.
Not really. The headline might give you that impression, but the first sentence of the article is clear that it's about the amount of shopping done from devices. People seem to be commenting just based on their impression of the headline without even reading the summary, much less the original article (kind of like Slashdot for those of you who know, except we're apparently not even reading the summary now :)).
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chatter Avatar
155 months ago
Apple is so dead....

On a serious note. How many were just people replacing an iPhone vs switching... thats the more important thing here.

Its numbers reported for users shopping ON their devices versus shopping FOR devices.
Apologies if you are asking a totally different question.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogifan Avatar
155 months ago
Not sure if I buy these statistics, I'm seeing more and more people with Android devices where I am. It seems like for every 5 or 7 annoying giant android phone carrying people, I'll see 1 or 2 folks with iPhones.

They're from IBM. Probably more reliable than individual antidotes.

----------

Nothing new here, however the US is no longer the biggest market, so in the larger picture for Apple, not a very meaningful metric.

But it probably is the biggest market where people spend money.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ghettochris Avatar
155 months ago
Not sure if I buy these statistics, I'm seeing more and more people with Android devices where I am. It seems like for every 5 or 7 annoying giant android phone carrying people, I'll see 1 or 2 folks with iPhones.

I was stuck in an airport for a couple days recently, and I found the opposite true. iPhones and ipads everywhere, hardly any android.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aristotle Avatar
155 months ago
So this would support the notion that people who buy iPhones tend to have more disposable income. I suppose that makes sense given the number of free low end android phones that people with less disposable income buys. I would wager those users who buy the Galaxy S4 or other high end android phones spend just about as much as iPhone users on other purchases.
So what exactly do people do on their android phones if they don't shop, don't buy games and apps and they don't surf the web?

Are the majority of Android phones lower end models being used mainly as dumb phone replacements to mostly talk and text and maybe do some instant messaging?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Piggie Avatar
155 months ago
Wow the snobbery in this thread is simply amazing.

And it's one of the very worst aspects about Apple fans.

I am better than you as I own an Apple product.

Look at me, I bet you wish you could afford Apple like I can, you poor person.

This thread wreaks of this, it's horrible.

It's the very very very worst part about some Apple fans, actually thinking they are better than others simply because they feel their phone is nicer :(
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)