Online shoppers using smartphones over tablets and desktops

NEW YORK — If the beginning of the holiday season is any indication, it could be a merry mobile Christmas for shoppers.

For the first time, it’s expected more people will visit retailers’ websites through their smartphones than on desktops or tablets during the first weekend of the U.S. holiday shopping season that begins Thursday, on American Thanksgiving Day.

Mobile traffic during the five-day start to what is typically the busiest shopping period of the year is expected to reach 56.9 per cent of total traffic, up from 48.5 per cent last year, according to IBM Watson.

And even though everyone who “window shops” on their phones isn’t going to buy, mobile sales are jumping too. Mobile sales are expected to account for 36.1 per cent of online sales, up from 27 per cent last year, according to IBM Watson Trend.

The bumps in traffic and sales come as retailers try to make the mobile shopping experience easier by improving their mobile apps and adding coupons and other deals.

Shoppers also have become more comfortable browsing retailers’ websites as smartphone screen sizes have grown, making it easier for them to see photos of the items they want to buy. Digital wallets and apps that let shoppers store payment information are helping too.

“It’s very convenient,” said Seth Reineke, 25, an insurance worker from Iowa City, Iowa, who plans to peruse Amazon’s weekend deals from his phone.

“It allows me to keep track of time-sensitive sales without being tied to a computer or having to leave a holiday event or get-together.”

Mobile shopping still has its problems, including security concerns, sluggish apps and hard-tonavigate mobile websites.