How bad is e-Commerce looking this holiday season? So bad comScore chairmain Gian Fulgoni says it's "fallen off a cliff." Consider these comScore numbers:
Online sales have grown 10% to $158 billion--compared to 17% last year, 20% in 2006, and 22% in 2005. Just this year, it has plunged from 19% in the first quarter, 13% in the second, and 9% in the third. Excluding travel, the drop is even steeper, falling to just 5% in September.
...And some categories are actually registering sales declines. Hardest-hit is the apparel, shoe and accessory category, which saw a decline of 3% in online sales in the third quarter; books and magazines, with a decline of 17%; and music, movies and videos, with a drop of 29%.
But every cloud has a silver lining, no matter how small -- coupon sites are doing well, up 37%.
See Also:
2007 Holiday eCommerce Falls Short
Amazon Peak 2007 Holiday Unit Sales Up ~35% Year-Over-Year