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Fourth Quarter e-Commerce Spending Up
Estimated U.S. retail e-commerce last year was 2% more than in 2008, while total retail sales fell 7% from 2008, the Census Bureau said last month.
The Bureau put estimated e-tail spending for the quarter at $35.9 billion, adjusted for seasonal variation, but not for price changes. The figure put fourth-quarter e-sales 4.5% beyond third-quarter spending.
As for same-quarter-to-same-quarter increases, the fourth quarter 2009 e-commerce estimate shows an increase of 14.4% ('2.1%) from the fourth quarter 2008 total, while total retail sales increased 2.2% ('0.2%) in the same period.
e-Commerce sales in the fourth quarter of 2009 accounted for 3.8% of all sales, which came to $942.4 billion, the Bureau says.
The e-tally for all of 2009 was $134.9 billion, an increase of 2% over total e-commerce sales in 2008.
2009 e-commerce sales accounted for 3.7% of total sales. e-Commerce sales in 2008 accounted for 3.3% of total sales, the Census Bureau says.
A Holiday Boost
As in other years, holiday spending increased some retailing activity, and bolstered others when no rise was detected.
Cyber Monday, Nov. 30 last year, was a shot in the arm for e-retailers, according to information from the National Retail Federation (“NRF”) and Internet-activity monitoring firm comScore. The company reported online shopping at the start of the holiday season up at least 5% over 2008. Cyber Monday spending hit $887 million, which matched the record for online spending by comScore's calculation in a day ' Dec. 9, 2008.
comScore says online holiday shoppers rang up $16 billion from Nov. 1 through Dec. 6, 2009, up 3% from 2008.
Free shipping was a big draw for Internet shoppers. The NRF says about 79% of online retailers offered free shipping for customers who purchased a certain amount of merchandise, and 57% were pledging to ship for free without spending conditions.
Without Adjustments
On a not adjusted basis, the estimate of U.S. retail e-commerce sales for the fourth quarter of 2009 totaled $42 billion, an increase of 31.4% ('2.6%) from the third quarter of 2009.
The fourth-quarter 2009 e-commerce estimate increased 14.6% ('2.1%) from the fourth quarter of 2008, and total retail sales increased 2.2% ('0.2%) in the same period.
e-Commerce sales in the fourth quarter of 2009 accounted for 4.3% of total sales.
How Census Bureau Defines e-Commerce
The Census Bureau classifies e-commerce sales as any involving goods and services for which a buyer places an order, or for which price and terms of sale are negotiated, over the Internet, an extranet, an electronic data interchange (“EDI”) network (this is the leading method), e-mail or other online system. Payment needn't be made online for the transaction to count as e-commerce.
The Estimated Quarterly Retail Sales chart is available online here.
Michael Lear-Olimpi is Editor-in-Chief of this newsletter. He is also principle of Susquehanna editorial Services, a writing, editing, writing-coaching and media-consulting service for professionals ' including lawyers and journalists ' based in Harrisburg, PA. He can be reached at [email protected], or 717-635-8839.
Estimated U.S. retail e-commerce last year was 2% more than in 2008, while total retail sales fell 7% from 2008, the Census Bureau said last month.
The Bureau put estimated e-tail spending for the quarter at $35.9 billion, adjusted for seasonal variation, but not for price changes. The figure put fourth-quarter e-sales 4.5% beyond third-quarter spending.
As for same-quarter-to-same-quarter increases, the fourth quarter 2009 e-commerce estimate shows an increase of 14.4% ('2.1%) from the fourth quarter 2008 total, while total retail sales increased 2.2% ('0.2%) in the same period.
e-Commerce sales in the fourth quarter of 2009 accounted for 3.8% of all sales, which came to $942.4 billion, the Bureau says.
The e-tally for all of 2009 was $134.9 billion, an increase of 2% over total e-commerce sales in 2008.
2009 e-commerce sales accounted for 3.7% of total sales. e-Commerce sales in 2008 accounted for 3.3% of total sales, the Census Bureau says.
A Holiday Boost
As in other years, holiday spending increased some retailing activity, and bolstered others when no rise was detected.
Cyber Monday, Nov. 30 last year, was a shot in the arm for e-retailers, according to information from the National Retail Federation (“NRF”) and Internet-activity monitoring firm comScore. The company reported online shopping at the start of the holiday season up at least 5% over 2008. Cyber Monday spending hit $887 million, which matched the record for online spending by comScore's calculation in a day ' Dec. 9, 2008.
comScore says online holiday shoppers rang up $16 billion from Nov. 1 through Dec. 6, 2009, up 3% from 2008.
Free shipping was a big draw for Internet shoppers. The NRF says about 79% of online retailers offered free shipping for customers who purchased a certain amount of merchandise, and 57% were pledging to ship for free without spending conditions.
Without Adjustments
On a not adjusted basis, the estimate of U.S. retail e-commerce sales for the fourth quarter of 2009 totaled $42 billion, an increase of 31.4% ('2.6%) from the third quarter of 2009.
The fourth-quarter 2009 e-commerce estimate increased 14.6% ('2.1%) from the fourth quarter of 2008, and total retail sales increased 2.2% ('0.2%) in the same period.
e-Commerce sales in the fourth quarter of 2009 accounted for 4.3% of total sales.
How Census Bureau Defines e-Commerce
The Census Bureau classifies e-commerce sales as any involving goods and services for which a buyer places an order, or for which price and terms of sale are negotiated, over the Internet, an extranet, an electronic data interchange (“EDI”) network (this is the leading method), e-mail or other online system. Payment needn't be made online for the transaction to count as e-commerce.
The Estimated Quarterly Retail Sales chart is available online here.
Michael Lear-Olimpi is Editor-in-Chief of this newsletter. He is also principle of Susquehanna editorial Services, a writing, editing, writing-coaching and media-consulting service for professionals ' including lawyers and journalists ' based in Harrisburg, PA. He can be reached at [email protected], or 717-635-8839.
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