iOS Remains More Popular Than Android for Holiday Shopping in the U.S. - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

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

iOS 27 Next to iPhone

Here's When iOS 27 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: It's Out]

Sunday September 13, 2026 3:00 am PDT by
Update 10:04 a.m.: iOS 27 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Apple is about to release iOS 27, which will finally deliver more advanced Siri AI capabilities as well as a variety of other refinements, improvements, and new features to iPhones. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at Wednesday's iPhone event...
iOS 27 Icon iPhone

iOS 27 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday September 14, 2026 9:00 am PDT by
Update — 10 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple has released iOS 27. During its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo event last week, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released widely on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 should be available around 10 a.m. Pacific Time / 1 p.m. Eastern Time today via the Settings app, under General → Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight new features and...
Apple iCloud Plus expansion hero

iCloud+ Now Includes Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and Curated Apple Music Stations in Over 100 Countries

Tuesday September 15, 2026 1:43 am PDT by
Apple today announced a new subscription initiative that turns paid iCloud+ subscriptions into a broader services bundle in more than 100 countries. In select countries, Apple says every paid iCloud+ plan, including the cheapest 50GB tier, now includes Apple TV and Apple Arcade "at no additional cost," while family sharing extends the storage, TV and Arcade access to up to five people....

Top Rated Comments

166 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)
166 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
166 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)
166 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
166 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
166 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)