ComScore said e-commerce sales rose 5% from Nov. 1 through Christmas
Eve, to $27.8 billion from $25.8 billion. From Black Friday through
Christmas Eve, sales grew 3.5%.
Regarding
key sales days, sales climbed 5% to $8 million on Cyber-Monday (Nov.
30); grew 11% to $595 million on Black Friday (Nov. 27); and increased
10% to $318 million on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 26). The biggest online
selling day was Tuesday (Dec. 15), up 21% to $913 million. On Green
Monday (Dec. 14), sales dipped 1% to $854 million. On the weekend of
Dec. 19 to Dec. 20, when winter storms covered the East Coast, sales
climbed 13% to $767 million.
ComScore noted that the overall 5% gain follows a 3% decline during the 2008 holiday season.
“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, said
comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni. “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 and 20,
retailers willingness to offer free shipping later in the season, and
consumers confidence in expedited shipping arriving in time.”
Regarding
standout categories, consumer electronics saw particularly strong sales
growth of slightly over 20%, while jewelry and watches also turned in a
strong performance following a very weak 2008 season.
ComScore
also noted that retailers this year substantially boosted their use of
social network marketing and the larger retailers significantly
outperformed their smaller ones.
“In these tough
economic times, the retailers with sufficient financial resources and a
willingness to invest in aggressive marketing and free shipping offers
were clear winners,” said Fulgoni.
