Online Sales Dip, Register First Year with No Growth

Overall e-commerce — covering both retail and travel websites — took a recessionary hit in 2009 when online sales registered a first-ever year without growth, according to a report released today by comScore, a provider of digital marketing data. Total online spending reached $209.6 billion in 2009, down 2 percent from the previous year, the first dip on record, according to comScore’s 2009 “U.S. Digital Year in Review.”

Sears.com: Life Well Spent, But More of It Online

Sears.com has expanded its online offerings substantially by selling third-party products in a move similar to other major Internet retailers. As a result, customers now have access to more than 10 million products via Sears.com, the venerable retailer announced today, without specifying how many products it was selling online before the third-party agreement.

Online Holiday Sales for Nov-Dec Up 4%, Report Says

Holiday online sales for November and December reached $29.1 Billion, a 4 percent increase versus the same period in 2008, according to a final report by comScore, the digital marketing research firm. Highlights included a first-ever, single-day record of $900 million on Tuesday, Dec. 15, and a strong surge in online spending late in the season, comScore said.

Online Sales Up 5% This Season, Boosted by Electronics

Boosted by consumer electronics, online sales from Nov. 1 through Christmas Eve increased 5 percent over last year, reported Internet research firm comScore. The increase is welcome news for credit card issuers who have seen significant in-store declines in the use of plastic for charging purchases this holiday season. Internet sales during the holiday period registered about $27 billion.

eBay’s Holiday Volume Triples on Smart Phone Apps

eBay reported that holiday volume on its iPhone and other mobile phone applications tripled compared to last year, with 1.5 million items purchased worldwide. Nearly 6 million people are carrying access to eBay on their smart phones. Purchasing items on the go is a trend that analysts say can only increase. According to one report, mobile Internet users will double by 2013 to surpass 1 billion.

Snowstorms Help Lift Online Sales to New Highs

Snowstorms this past weekend helped boost online sales 13 percent over the pre-Christmas weekend last year, and the holiday season to date has seen a 4 percent increase, according to an update today on Internet purchases by comScore. The final shopping weekend of the season (Dec. 19-20) had a strong 13 percent growth rate, with reported online sales of $767 million, as snowstorms on the eastern seaboard prompted “many consumers to finish their holiday shopping from the confines of their own homes,” reported Virginia-based comScore, a provider of “digital marketing” intelligence.

Discover: Holiday Shoppers to Spend 15% Less This Year

Holiday shoppers will spend $723 on average, down 15 percent compared to last year, said Discover Financial Services in its annual survey. Last year, shoppers spent $831 on average, and $896 in the 2007 survey.

Retail Group Saw 8% More Cyber Monday Traffic This Year

Cyber Monday was a success for online retailers with an 8 percent increase in visitor traffic over last year, according to the National Retail Federation, the largest retail trade group. For credit card issuers in particular, the initial online figures are encouraging. However, online shopping represents less than 10 percent of all Christmas holiday season spending.

Cyber Monday Outlook: 19% More Shoppers This Year

A national retail group projects that 96.5 million online shoppers will take to the keyboards on today’s Cyber Monday, up 19 percent from last year. The majority of Cyber Monday shoppers will do so from living rooms and kitchens – 91.5 percent or 88.2 million Americans.

Rewards Monday: Credit Cards Battle for Cyber Sales Share

Major credit card issuers are offering extra reward points, promotional websites and online comparison shopping tools in an all-out blitz to grab the biggest share of Cyber Monday sales and beyond.

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