Business and Marketing

Consumers will take greater advantage of digital deals, while retailers will see more click-throughs thanks to improved application of data analytics.

You know the holiday retail season is nigh when the IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark releases its first projections, and it predicts shoppers will continue to break new ground online this year. Here's what to expect in the five-day shop-a-thon commencing on Thanksgiving Day, according to IBM:

Digital deals will deliver. Consumers on average will spend 3% less online ($123.28), but they will buy 4.4 items—17% more than they did last year. The reason: They've become more comfortable with and more adept at using digital coupons.

Retailers will get more personal. As online retailers perfect methods of personalization through better data analysis, they will realize 10% higher click-through rates on emails. IBM estimates that 35% of those clicks will be made via mobile devices.

Mo' mobile. For the first time, the majority (53%) of online shopping traffic this Thanksgiving will be mobile. The portable devices will account for 28% of all online sales, a 9% increase over 2013.

Tablets will pay the tab. The larger devices, able to display more merchandise choices, will account for twice as many transactions as smartphones. Cells, meanwhile, will do twice the online traffic of tablets.

IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark arrives at its forecasts by analyzing billions of online and in-store transactions across 370 performance indicators.

Business Breaking News: A 'Culture of Cybersecurity' Is Best Small Business Defense

By now, most business owners are aware that, regardless of your business size, no one is immune from the risk of a cyberbreach. Today's hackers are highly sophisticated and have the means to attack any target they choose.

While most small businesses don't live in blissful state of ignorance about the need for cybersecurity, many still haven't taken sufficient measures to guard themselves against hackers. A recent infographic by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) reported that 71 percent of security breaches target small businesses, and nearly half of all small businesses have been victims of cyberattacks. Perhaps most alarming of all is the fact that 60 percent of small businesses that suffer a breach go out of business after six months, according to Experian.

"Small businesses by their nature are more fragile than larger enterprises," said Michael Kaiser, executive director of the NCSA. "They likely haven't taken the time to develop a contingency plan or response plan in the case of a cybersecurity incident and when an event happens, they don't have what they need in place to recover."

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