According to the company, between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. pacific standard time was the busiest mobile shopping hour on Black Friday 2011. The PayPal data proves that consumers are increasingly using their mobile devices for their shopping needs.

“This year, we expected to see a spike in mobile shopping, especially on Thanksgiving,” said Claudia Lombana, shopping specialist at PayPal, Palo Alto, CA.

“We’re seeing a big increase in mobile shopping,” she said.

Increased shopping
PayPal found that Black Friday global mobile payment volume more than doubled – 148 percent – compared to an average Friday.

The company also saw a 371 increase in the number of customers shopping through mobile on Black Friday 2011 compared to last year.

Shoppers in New York, Houston, Miami, Los Angeles and Chicago  made the most mobile purchases through PayPal on Black Friday.

According to PayPal, shoppers in the United States purchased nearly two and half times as many items via eBay Mobile during Black Friday this year compared to last year.

The five most popular categories shopped via eBay Mobile excluding vehicles included clothing, shoes and accessories, computers and networking, consumer electronics, sporting goods and jewelry and watches.

Additionally, the five most popular categories shopped via eBay Mobile, excluding vehicles, included clothing, shoes and accessories, cell phones and PDAs, jewelry and watches, consumer electronics and collectibles.

“Mobile is playing a big role on Black Friday where people don’t have to lineup and deal with crowded stores,” Ms. Lombana said.

EBay data
The eBay and PayPal data also showed that the top items purchases via eBay Mobile were Nike Air Jordan 3 Retro Shoes, Toms Classic Shoes and a Coach Signature Satchel which were featured in the Fashion category.

In terms of the Electronics category, iPhone accessories, Barnes & Noble Nook Color and PanDigital Novel Multimedia ereader were the top purchases made on Black Friday 2011.

In addition, Hot Wheels 1970 Chevrolet Camaro 1:50 Diecast Car, Lost Mini Rocker Crawler RTR radio controlled truck and Redcat racing rockslide RS10 radion controlled truck were the top purchases for the Toys and Hobbies category.

During Black Friday 2011, eBay also saw that mobile shoppers who used RedLaser most often scanned items such as TVs and DVD players, electronics, video game systems, video games, home products and toys and games to comparison shop.

“This year, we’re going to see a lot of activity in the mobile space for mobile shopping,” Ms. Lombana said. “I think that online shopping is still a big player particularly on Cyber Monday.

“We’ll see mobile being a game-changer for the first time,” she said.

Final Take
Rimma Kats is staff reporter on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York