Apple reshapes holiday shopping with bigger smartphones

Seattle

HOLIDAY shoppers aren't just abandoning crowded stores in favour of shopping online. They're also putting aside tablets in favour of pushing the buy button on bigger smartphones such as Apple Inc's iPhone 6 Plus.

Online spending via smartphones surged more than 75 per cent, surpassing purchases made on tablets for the first time this Thanksgiving weekend, according to data from International Business Machines Corp (IBM). That suggests bigger screens, easier payment options combined with revamped retail websites and shopping applications customised for phones are changing consumer behaviour.