According to recent figures released by comScore, the 2009 holiday season saw more money spent on e-commerce purchases compared with 2008 totals.
Approximately $27.1 billion was spent online for non-travel retail purchases from Nov. 1 through Dec. 24, according to the company. This reflects a 5 percent increase from the $25.8 billion spent in 2008 during the same time period.
“For the period from Black Friday through Christmas Eve, and after adjusting for the additional shopping day in 2009, sales grew by approximately 3.5 percent,” comScore noted in a statement.
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Tuesday, Dec. 15, saw $913 million in spending, 21 percent more than the $754 million spent on that day in 2008.
“Online sales growth this year was driven by a continued increase in the number of people buying online, but consumers’ economic challenges resulted in a slight decline versus last year in the amount spent per buyer,” noted Gian Fulgoni, comScore chairman, in a press release. “The season featured a strong start as a result of early retailer promotions and a very strong finish helped by the snow storms that occurred the weekend of Dec 19 – 20, retailers’ willingness to offer free shipping later in the season, and consumers’ confidence in expedited shipping arriving in time.”
Fulgoni added that retailers utilized marketing on social networks and that large retailers “significantly outperformed” their smaller competition.
Consumer electronics saw 20 percent sales growth compared to 2008, according to Fulgoni.
MasterCard Advisers’ SpendingPulse affirms comScore’s finding, as it found a 15.5 percent year-over-year increase in online sales.
Sources:
http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2009/12/E-Commerce_Sales_Rise_by_5_Percent_to_Reach_27_Billion_for_the_2009
_Holiday_Shopping_Season_through_Christmas_Eve
http://www.dmnews.com/holiday-e-commerce-sales-up-5-as-more-shoppers-migrate-online/article/160392/
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