Why do iOS users buy more stuff than Android users? Because they have more money

The sales numbers for the first big holiday shopping weekend are in, and they show, once again, that iPad and iPhone users buy way more stuff on their devices than Android owners do. There are several explanations for this — one of them being that Apple owners just have more spending money.

A research report from Custora shows that the vast majority of mobile shopping purchases from Black Friday through Cyber Monday happened on Apple devices. iPhone and iPad users accounted for 78 percent of mobile purchases, while Android users accounted for only 22 percent, Custora says.

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The report shows that shopping on Android devices continues to gain ground on Apple in mobile shopping. Apple’s share is down from 84 percent on last year’s holiday weekend 2013, while Android’s share is up from 15 percent.

But owning four-fifths of all mobile e-commerce is impressive. Why do iOS users buy more?

“This is certainly nothing new,” says Avi Greengart, research director at Current Analysis. “Apple users are just more engaged.”

Greengart says mobile device users often get turned on by one mobile experience then move to new ones, like shopping. “So let’s say you’re using your tablet to access content and you find the content to be compelling, it’s more likely that you will want to use the tablet for other things.”

It may also have something to do with the type of people who buy Apple products. “In some ways they’re self-selecting,” says Greengart. “Apple wants to sell premium-priced devices to people who have the money to spend.”

Mobile shopping (e-commerce orders made on mobile phones and tablets) accounted for more than a fifth (22 percent) of all online shopping on Cyber Monday this year. That’s up from just 16 percent last year.

And, Greengart points out, it shouldn’t be forgotten that iOS shopping apps may simply offer a better experience, especially on iPads. Those apps are built specifically with the iPad in mind, while many Android apps were originally built for phones and have to resize up for use on tablets.

The fact that there are way more Android devices out in the wild than iOS ones makes the mobile purchasing share stats even more impressive.

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The research firm IDC projects that 82 percent of the smartphones by the end of the year will be Android devices, while only 14 percent will be iPhones. Android currently owns 68 percent of the tablet market, with iPads accounting for 28 percent.