Q4 Retail E-Commerce Spending Nears $50 Billion

Online retail spending for the fourth quarter of 2011 increased 14 percent, year-over-year, to $49.7 billion, according to comScore, which measures digital data. This growth rate represents the ninth consecutive quarter of positive year-over-year growth and fifth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth rates. For the entire 2011 year, U.S. retail e-commerce spending reached a record $161.5 billion, a 13-percent increase from 2010.

“The fourth quarter of 2011 capped off what was yet another strong year for online retail, one in which every quarter achieved double-digit increases versus the prior year,” said Gian Fulgoni, comScore chairman. “In the face of continuing uncertainty regarding the U.S. economy, consumers increasingly went online for their shopping needs. Price and convenience continue to be the critical value drivers for e-commerce, and unless those conditions change we can expect to see more channel-shifting to online in 2012 and perhaps even an acceleration in the current growth trend.”

Other highlights from Q4 2011 include:

* The top-performing online product categories were: Digital Content & Subscriptions, Jewelry & Watches, Consumer Electronics, Toys & Hobbies, and Computer Software. Each category grew at least 18 percent vs. year ago.

* Ten individual days in Q4 surpassed $1 billion in online spending, led by Cyber Monday (Nov. 28) at $1.25 billion. Monday, Dec. 5 ranked second at $1.17 billion, followed by Green Monday (Dec. 12) at $1.13 billion.

* 52 percent of e-commerce transactions included free shipping, representing an all-time high. The previous high was Q4 2010 at 49 percent.

* Smartphones and tablets played a growing role in online shopping, with consumes increasingly using smartphones to check prices and product features while physically in a retail store.

Weekly Online Holiday Retail Sales Pass $6.2 Billion

This past week, ended December 18, online holiday sales finally blew past the $6 million mark and surged to $6.28 billion, led by four individual days surpassing $1 billion in sales, according to comScore, a company that tracks digital data. Online sales for the week increased 14 percent versus the same period of the prior year. Several times this year weekly online sales were flirting with the $6 billion mark.

The final online shopping weekend before Christmas, where shipping was guaranteed, reached $1.04 billion to rank as the second heaviest weekend of online spending on record.

“With only a few more days until Christmas, the preponderance of Americans’ late season holiday shopping will shift to brick-and-mortar retail, although the procrastinators among us will still be able to take advantage of expedited shipping and buy online up to and including the day before Christmas Eve with the guarantee of having their gifts delivered in time for the holiday,” said Gian Fulgoni, comScore chairman. “In total, we will see another $5 or $6 billion in e-commerce spending over the remainder of December to finish off what has clearly been an outstanding season for online retailers.”

Holiday season retail e-commerce spending for the first 48 days of the November – December 2011 holiday season (ended December 18), has increased 15 percent to $31.97 billion, the Reston, Va.-based reports.  Overall holiday online retail spending in 2011 is already approaching the 2010 online holiday season total of $32.6 billion with nearly two weeks left in the season.

For the 2011 holiday season-to-date, 10 days have surpassed $1 billion in online retail sales.

Another $5.9 Billion Dollar Week for Online Holiday Sales

For the second consecutive week, online sales hit the $5.9 billion mark and saw growth rates remain in line with the season-to-date at 15-percent, reports comScore, which measures digital data.

In addition, the most recent week (ending December 9) had three days surpassing $1 billion in sales, the Reston, Va.-based company reports. For the holiday season-to-date, six individual days have surpassed the billion dollar threshold, led by Cyber Monday at $1.25 billion.

“These highlights represent another very positive sign for the holiday shopping season, said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni. The week following ‘Cyber Week’ (which includes Cyber Monday the Monday after Black Friday) often experiences relative softness in spending momentum due to retailers pulling back on their promotional activity. As we enter what will be the heaviest week of the season for online retailers … all signs are now pointing to a strong finish to the season.”

This season has been a coming out of sorts for online retail. Since comScore began tracking e-commerce spending in 2001, seven individual shopping days have surpassed $1 billion in spending. Six of those days occurred this year. To date, Cyber Monday 2011 (Nov. 28) ranks as the heaviest online spending day in history at $1.25 billion. Leading off this most recent week of the holiday season, December 5, now ranks as the second heaviest spending day in history at $1.18 billion, followed by November 29 at $1.12 billion, and December 6 at $1.11 billion. Cyber Monday 2010 (Monday, November 29, 2010) rounds out the top five at $1.03 billion.

Retail e-commerce spending for the first 39 days of the November – December 2011 holiday season has reached $24.6 billion, a 15-percent increase versus the corresponding days last year.