U.S. holiday online sales fell 3 percent
U.S. online sales during this year's full holiday season fell 3 percent, according to comScore, marking the first year-over-year decline since the Internet research company began tracking e-commerce in 2001.
U.S. consumers spent US$25.5 billion online between Nov. 1 and Dec. 23, compared with $26.3 billion during the comparable period last year, which was Oct. 27 through Dec. 18, according to comScore. Dec. 23 was the last day to purchase with the possibility of delivery by Christmas Eve, the company said.
The results fell short of comScore's prediction before the season, which had called for flat sales. Although there were some hopeful moments for online retailers, such as a year-over-year sales increase of 15 percent for the Monday after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, the weak economy slowed consumers down, according to comScore. There also were five fewer shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the company noted.
The bad news went beyond just the holiday season. The fourth quarter as a whole will mark the first quarter since 2001 with lower online sales than a year earlier. Sales for Oct. 1 through Dec. 28 were about $36.8 billion, down 4 percent from $38.4 billion in the fourth quarter of 2007, the company said.
But shoppers visited online stores more often during the holidays, with total unique visitors to all stores, between Dec. 1 and Dec. 24, rising 5 percent to just under 180 million.
The top e-commerce site in visits remained eBay, with 85.4 million unique visitors, but it suffered a 4 percent drop from a year earlier, comScore said. The sites operated by Amazon came in second, with more than 76 million, an increase of about 7 percent. Wal-Mart trailed in third place, with 51.5 million, but it gained 4 percent from the previous year.
The biggest winners in drawing shoppers were computer makers: Hewlett-Packard gained 28 percent, and Apple, the fifth most popular online store overall, saw unique visitors grow 19 percent. But the ailing Dell had 17 percent fewer visitors during the holidays this year.
IDG News Service
Sign up for ITworld's Daily newsletter
Follow ITworld on Twitter @IT_world
On Twitter now
holiday sales
Powered by Twitter
Esther Schindler
If the comments are ugly, the code is ugly
claird
SVG a graphics format for 21st century
pasmith
Take Chrome OS for a test spin
Sandra Henry-Stocker
Solaris Tip: Have Your Files Changed Since Installation?
jfruh
Android fragments vs. the iPhone monolith
mikelgan
What Gizmodo missed about the Pro WX Wireless USB disk drive
Sidekick: The Good News & the Bad News
Either way you look at it Microsoft Data Center management did not follow standards or best practices in this failure. In which case it makes me wonder more about the outsourcing of corporate data much less personal data.
- mburton325
Join the conversation here
Quick, practical advice for IT pros. Made fresh daily.
Want to cash in on your IT savvy? Send your tip to tips@itworld.com. If we post it, we'll send you a $25 Amazon e-gift card.
People are running for
People are running for holiday sales in order to get the things they need for the season in the lowest price. The holiday season’s retail sales’ extra cash went to Amazon.com, the online retail giant, but overall retail sales went downhill. Mainstays such as consumer electronics and jewelry fell by 20% compared to last year’s figures. The value of convenience appears to have not diminished, as Amazon allows shoppers to be able to purchase gifts for virtually anyone, and the diversity of products outpaces any pusillanimous offerings by your local shopping mall. All can be done from the home, and you can even get next day shipping if you feel like paying extra. Amazon was one of the lucky few retailers not to see a loss this year, even though internet sales were down 1%. However, that paltry 1% is a blessing in comparison to the losses of other retail sections – luxury items such as jewelry took a hiding over the holidays, as the sales for jewelry fell 35%. Jewelry and electronics are typically mainstays of holiday shopping, and both suffered significant losses this year, even with new generation Blackberry, iPhones, and a multitude of platform games being put out and priced competitively for the holidays. Read this article to learn more about how retailers fared this holiday season and to check out your options if you’re in need of extra cash.The New Year is probably the
The New Year is probably the best time to go out and shop. Buyers doesn’t have to get payday loans in order to get high-end merchandise because of all the sales that businesses are offering. Many retail stores are putting discounts on holiday discounts! Consumers are used to seeing items advertised for 70, 75, even up to 90 percent off, and many of them may not be willing to go back to paying full price. At least, that’s what retailers fear. So whether it’s that consumers are unwilling or unable to afford those high-end merchandises, retailers are doing their utmost to attract consumers with their exciting shopping discounts. Check this site out if you need a payday loan or to get more information about retail trends.婚カツ
結婚相談今注目の婚活はアラフォーと呼ばれる年代だけの物ではないのです。
婚カツお見合い
アラサー結婚