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American consumer-worship of the iPad reached dizzying new heights during the 2011 holiday shopping season, as tablet ownership doubled and purchases from the devices reached 7% of all online sales on Christmas Day. Since recent numbers make it clear that retailers can't afford to overlook the growing popularity of these devices, here are the ten commandments for leveraging the Almighty Tablet:

1. Thou shalt make engaging, tablet-specific promotions - tablet users responded to Black Friday Cyber Monday promotions at higher rates than PC or mobile users.

2. Thou shalt appeal to affluent males aged 18-34, the largest demographic of tablet users.

3. Thou shalt create special weekend-only promotions, when tablet users shop online by greater margins than PC users.

4. Thou shalt not forget to optimize video content for tablets, as tablet users tend to spend more time on research and entertainment consumption.

5. Thou shalt not treat all mobile users the same - segment out tablet users from smartphone users due to distinct differences in spending behavior.

6. Thou shalt act quickly - approximately 29 percent of American adults now own either an e-reader or tablet device.

7. Thou shalt make the tablet shopping experience as seamless as possible - last year tablet visitors spent 54 percent more than smartphone visitors and 21 percent more per purchase than desktop/laptop visitors.
   

8. Thou shalt not ignore the next frontier of tablet saturation: public education.

9. Thou shalt optimize for home viewing - studies show that 58% of tablet use occurs at home.

10. You shalt not covet your competitor's tablet presence - make sure you have a customized mobile strategy that includes tablet optimization to engage your audience and empower your customers.

The stellar 2011 holiday season highlighted another record-setting trend - the staggering growth rate of mobile commerce. The IBM Benchmark December holiday report showed that sales from mobile devices doubled, reaching 11 percent versus 5.5 percent in December 2010.

Unfortunately, this impressive growth belies missed opportunities for e-tailers - industry analyst eMarketer reported that out of the nearly 56 million mobile users who shopped online in the U.S. in 2011, only about 27 million actually completed a purchase via a mobile device. The biggest reasons cited by consumers for the lack of mobile love? Clunky interfaces, tiny keyboards, and tedious checkouts.

The takeaway for online retailers who are wondering about investing in mobile optimization? Those who leverage mobile technology to offer a frictionless checkout and a truly satisfying mobile experience will be positioned to rack up big revenues in the next few years - and those who don't may miss out on what looks to be a very profitable 2012.

2011 was a huge year for digital, and 2012 looks to be even bigger. This year saw a search engine giant enter the social space, a two-horse race in the exploding smartphone market, a record-setting haul for holiday eCommerce, the death of icon Steve Jobs, huge sales for Amazon's Kindle, and social media tools like Twitter helping to fuel democratic revolutions around the world.

Cuker had a banner year as well, with global mobile commerce, multiple web awards, exciting eCommerce site launches, and rewarding non-profit work for great causes. We couldn't have done it without our great clients, partners, friends and associates - so thank you for helping to make 2011 our best year ever. Have a safe and happy New Year!

After a record-shattering Black Friday and Cyber Monday, online shoppers show no signs of slowing down in what has become a historic holiday spending frenzy. While Cyber Monday hit a record $1.25 billion - the biggest online shopping day in history - Web shoppers continued shopping throughout the week, generating sales of almost $6 billion on Monday through Friday. Black Friday sales on mobile and tablet devices surged to 9.8% in 2011 from 3.2% in 2010, and final mobile sales figures during Cyber Monday are expected to be double over the same period last year. With numbers like these, economists are hopeful that online sales during the 2011 holiday season could put Santa - and the economy as a whole - into overdrive.