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December 11 2007
E-Commerce spending up by 18%-40% on Christmas 2006
ComScore has announced bumper trading in the US and at home John Lewis online is up by 40%
ComScore have updated their US e-commerce spending figures for the first 37 days (November 1 – December 7) of the November – December 2007 holiday season and it’s showing more than $18 billion has been spent online during the season-to-date. The figure marks an 18% gain versus the corresponding days last year. Thursday, December 6 recorded $803 million in online sales, up 28 percent versus year ago, making it the heaviest online spending day in history so far, with the 10th expected to be even higher.
“December got off to a strong start, as we saw spending growth accelerate to 20 percent for the week and the first ever $800 million online spending day on record,” said comScore Chairman Gian Fulgoni. “It was a terrific kick-start to December, but we expect the upcoming week to be the heaviest online spending week of the holiday season as the procrastinators and late-season deal-seekers come out in earnest.”
“Gaming consoles and accessories represent the strongest growing product category this holiday season, with sales up more than 130 percent versus year ago. The Nintendo Wii is attracting particularly strong interest, as evidenced by the intense search activity occurring around the product,” added Mr. Fulgoni. “While iPods and iPhones are predictably popular, we’re also seeing that consumers are actively searching for information on GPS products. This is a category that can be expected to grow strongly during the next few years.”
Nearer to home John Lewis announced that that last week was the biggest on record for the group's website, with sales up 40% on 2006 levels. The internet operation was recently relaunched and the number of products available online boosted 50%. The website, run from a warehouse in Chelsea, now takes more cash than the chain's flagship Oxford Street store in London.
John Lewis seems to be having a spectacular season as sales on the high street are also up. The 26-store chain took £96m in the seven days to December 8. The record takings came a week earlier than last year's record. Sales were 5.2% higher than a year ago and nearly 12% up on the previous week.
The John Lewis numbers are in sharp contrast to the experience of many rival retailers. In recent weeks there have been a string of profit warnings from high street retailers, from jewellers group Signet, which owns H Samuel, to Sports Direct, and Sir Philip Green has warned that Christmas will be tough.
Additionally the Royal Mail has revealed it is expecting to deliver a record 120m items ordered online over the Christmas period - double the number handled three years ago.
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