At the close of 2012, market intelligence firm ABI Research estimates nearly 200 million tablets will have shipped worldwide since 2009 and an additional 1 billion tablets are forecasted to ship over the next 5 years.  New research that explores the impact a tablet has on the daily life of a U.S. consumer shows that 22% of users spend $50 or more per month and 9% spend $100 or more; much higher than spending levels observed by smartphone owners. “Tablets are quickly becoming the go-to transaction screen within the home,” says mobile devices senior practice director Jeff Orr.

Spending on-device of physical and virtual goods has not yet impacted retail storefronts which are already concerned about their venues turning into showrooms for eventual e-commerce purchases. Logistics, such as price checking, using a coupon and location-based searches, consistently rank as the most common activities (each performed by more than 50% of tablet shoppers in the previous 90 days) while shopping. “The opportunity to keep consumers buying in-store squarely remains with the retailer.  So far, the presence of a media tablet during the shopping experience has not altered the sales channel where consumers finally buy products,” notes Orr.

The actual amount of cannibalization that a tablet has on traditional print and TV consumption varies. Most surprising is that tablets are increasingly used in conjunction with other media types (14% for TV; 17% for newspapers and magazines), which makes the experience more immersive than static-only content engagement.

These “Consumer Media Tablet Usage” findings are part of ABI Research’s Media Tablets and eReaders Research Service, which includes Research Reports, Market Data, Insights, and Surveys.

ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of trends in global connectivity and other emerging technologies. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research’s worldwide team of experts advises thousands of decision makers through 70+ research and advisory services. Est. 1990. For more information visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.