One of Canada's leading e-commerce professors predicts a rise in online shopping this season due to 5 trending influences.

1. Smartphones - better smart phones with advanced features allow shoppers to use online information to make purchase decisions. Allowing busy shoppers to buy online without having to sit down to their notebook, or login through their desk top PC at work means more eyeballs on vendors sites.

The telcos are also offering better rate plans and plans that include functions and features conducive to shopping online.
Apps, an explosion in the number and variety of apps allow for shoppers to use features on their phones to help in shopping such as advanced search functions, payment functions, comparison price shopping sites etc.
2. YouTube - more online vendors are using short video clips, which they post on YouTube, to help shoppers see the FABs (features, advantages and benefits) of their products. "Words tell - pictures sell" was the old adage, add in "video sells convincingly". As more online vendors use videos to show how a product can be used and profile multiple viewing angles of the features it makes it easier for potential customers to make a "buy" decision. Since 2010 an explosion in the quality of digital cameras has also meant an increase in the quality of videos on YouTube, which goes towards "convincing" the buyer to pull the trigger.
Enabling the "comment" feature on YouTube videos also allows people who bought a product featured in a video, to post comments about their satisfaction with their purchase, which can be a very convincing "testimonial" for potential buyers
3. Peer2peer communication among shoppers about to buy, and those who did buy and are providing a reference or recommendation. As more web-based tools allow for easier communication, YouTube, Skype, social media such as FaceBook, more and more shoppers are making a purchase decision because of interaction with other purchasers of the same product or service. Such a situation leads to more confidence to "pull the trigger" and also leads to more satisfaction with using the product since they have contacts with others who also have the same product and can share comments and stories about what they did with the product, where they used it, and what kewl accessories they might have also obtained. A corollorary of enhanced peer2peer communication is that as companies learn how to effectively "mine" the exchanges of test, audio and video among consumers, thet can use that info to more strategically refine their prices, the product model offerings, and the FABs of their products.

4. Online Forums ( a popular structure in which peer2peer communication thrives)- on the surface these sites, such as redflagdeals.com, serve as an aggregator for deals, but in reality there is an entire online community. You can find info on short term deals like the 35$ dremel tool I'm going to buy from Costco this weekend, (says one former student Drew) or long term stuff like how to work Rogers retentions programs to reduce your cell phone bill (the Rogers retentions thread currently has Replies: 28,420 Views: 2,325,454 and landed me 6GB of data for $20, among other credits) Deals are posted to the forum by members, and other members are quick to evaluate them, even digging up historical pricing info or personal product/retailer experiences. Student Drew says "they have even coined a term "the rfd effect" because when something that is a particularly good bargain is posted to their forums, it can sell out in minutes. But I guess that isn't a surprise considering the site has 450,000 members, and 2.5million monthly readers. Even better, businesses will post group deals to RFD, and unlike sites like GroupOn, people can engage in a discussion of if the deal is good, and even post reviews of the product. For example I got my car windows tinted through a group deal, because countless RFD community members recommended the person offering the deal, even posting pictures of their cars with the various levels of tint (and I am very happy with the results)".

5. A continued and expanded use of online coupons and coupon codes will contribute to an increase in online shopping among people who have become interested in saving through the use of coupons in the past.

2011 list compiled by Prof. Tim Richardson, Seneca College and University of Toronto, with contributions from some of his current and former e-commerce students

Special thanks to thesen former students who provided some very helpful comments and additional examples of trends