Articles

24.2.2011 E-commerce spending grows 9% in 2010 in US

Total U.S. e-commerce spending reached $227.6 billion in 2010, up 9% from the previous year, according toa new white paper from comScore. “The 2010 US Digital Year in Review” also indicates that on a year-over-year basis, travel e-commerce spending grew 6% to $85.2 billion, while retail (nontravel) e-commerce spending jumped 10% to $142.5 billion for the year. ComScore analysis indicates that depressed consumer discretionary spending going back to the end of 2008 finally gave way to improving consumer sentiment, helping lead the US e-commerce market back to consistent positive growth in 2010.

The 2010 holiday season represented a high point in 2010 in terms of retail e-commerce growth, with growth rates surging to 12%, outpacing comScore’s initial forecast of 11% for the season. comScore says that while some of the holiday season growth can be attributed to consumers taking advantage of discounting and promotional activity online (most notably, free shipping), it is also a clear sign of improving consumer confidence. Not surprisingly, November ($14.5 billion) and December ($18.1 billion) were the heaviest online spending months of 2010, and they also exhibited accelerating growth rates compared to the preceding months.

B.L. 24.2.2011