US ecommerce sales holding up despite recession
New US online sales estimates from Comscore suggests that ecommerce is alive and well, despite the US recession, with online retail in the first quarter of 2009 worth some $31billion.
That figure is unchanged compared to the same quarter last year, whereas US retail sales overall for March 2009 (excluding automobile sales) were down 3% in real (i.e. inflation-adjusted) terms, and down some 7% in actual dollar value.
Comscore’s estimates show segments doing better than the same quarter last year included Sport & fitness (up 23%), Books & magazines (up 19%), Video games, consoles & accessories ( up 12%) and computer software (up 12%).
However not all sectors are travelling OK. Online sales of Office supplies was down a whopping 28% compared to the same quarter in 1008, and sales of music, movies and videos ( excluding digital downloads) was down 22%.
Online sales in the flowers gifts and greetings category have also been hard hit by the US recession, down 11% in the latest quarter.
Further breakdown of the data indicate less well-off Americans have cut back their online purchases the most.
Americans earning less than $US50,000 per annum cut their first quarter 2009 online spending by 10% compared to the same quarter last year.
US middle income earners (i.e. between $US50,000-99,000) increased their spending only slightly in the latest quarter (up 2%).
Higher income earners (ie. earning over $US100,000 pa) also increased their spending online in the latest quarter, up 3% compared to last year.
According to Comscore, middle and higher income earners combined account for 80% of all online retail spending. Middle income earners make up nearly half of the total (47%) whilst higher income earners account for 33%.
Further drilling-down into the statistics shows that whilst within both the middle and higher income earner brackets, younger people, aged less than 44 years of age, have continued to increase their online spending.
In fact in the middle income bracket, younger Americans increased their online spending by 15% in the latest quarter.
By contrast, those aged more than 45 in that bracket reduced their online spending by some 11%.
A similar if less pronounced phenomenon was evident in the higher income bracket. Younger high income earners increased their online spend by 8% in the ;latest quarter, whilst those aged 45 or higher maintained their online spending at the same level as in the first quarter last year.
For more information go to:
www.comscore.com
Share this article?
Use these links to share this story with friends via social bookmarking sites.
| 
