• by Steve Smith  @popeyesm, December 8, 2011

The mobilized shopper has become the marketing story of this holiday. Buyers are armed with apps and mobile Web resources as they surf for gifts this season. Retailers, both online and off, are scrambling for mindshare.

The usual suspects are going into this season with strength.

According to a recent poll of 235 smartphone users on its large media network, Verve Wireless found that 63% had accessed Amazon. Earlier this year, Internet Retailer ranked Amazon as the most successful mobile merchant, with an estimated $2 billion in sales made on mobile devices this year.

Amazon has been especially aggressive in its mobile strategy this holiday, with apps such as PriceCheck offering up to a $5 discount to people who scan an item in a retail store, but buy it at Amazon.

The Verve survey also found that 37% of mobile shoppers had checked out eBay on their phones. EBay, which hosts many e-stores, says it is already facilitating billions in mobile purchases. While e-retailers seem to dominate mobile shopping, at least one brick-and-mortar brand --Target -- is breaking into m-consciousness. The poll shows that 35% of mobile shoppers have accessed Target, which has slick mobile apps and a highly evolved mobile Web site.

Clustered closely among the product categories that mobile shoppers consulted, electronics (51%) slightly led entertainment (50%) and books (45%). But nearly half (48%) of people who used their phones for shopping were looking for price info, while 38% looked for product information and reviews and 14% were looking for places to buy.

The basic behavior of using cell phones to assist the shopping ritual is becoming ubiquitous. Verve’s survey found that 75% of all smartphone owners use their devices while shopping to enhance and amend the in-store experience with comparative pricing and product information. And 81% say they have purchased an item in-store or online after using their phones to access more information.

Mobile shopping is habitual now for a majority, with 61% saying they use their devices in this way at least one or more times a month.