Holiday E-Commerce Boom
Want proof that e-commerce is the way of the future? ComScore recently put out the numbers for consumer internet purchases during the holiday season, and, as expected, they are continuing to grow every year, topping the charts at $29.1 billion in 2009 (a 4% increase from last year), just in the days between Thanksgiving and the weekend before Christmas, with “Green Tuesday” (December 15) being marked as the heaviest online spending day of all time, at $913 million.
“The 2009 online holiday shopping season was a positive one as its growth rate slightly surpassed our forecast and returned to solidly positive rates after nearly a full year of marginally negative growth,” said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni. “Among the highlights of the season was the first $900 million online spending day and a strong late season spending surge, propelled by effective retailer promotions, guaranteed shipping and a major snowstorm on the eastern seaboard that convinced many to shop from the comfort of home. It’s possible that this better-than-expected end-of-year performance is a harbinger of renewed vigor and optimism for 2010 as the consumer economy seeks to rebound from one of the worst years in memory. At the same time, we need to remember that consumers’ spending power remains constrained by high unemployment levels, substantial debt and a new-found desire to save.”
If there’s anything that helps inspire an online marketer, its reports like that–and what better time to be inspired than at the beginning of a new year?
