IDEX Online: 2011 online spending +13%

New York--Online retail spending reached $49.7 billion for the fourth quarter of 2011, an increase of 14 percent year-over-year, reports digital tracker comScore, Inc. This was the ninth consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth and the fifth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth rates.

U.S. retail ecommerce spending for full-year 2011 reached a record $161.5 billion, up 13 percent from 2010. Ten individual days in the fourth quarter exceeded $1 billion in online spending, led by Cyber Monday (Nov. 28) at $1.25 billion. Monday, Dec. 5, ranked second at $1.18 billion, followed by Green Monday (Dec. 12) at $1.13 billion.

The Jewelry & Watches category was among the top-performing online product categories and grew at least 18 percent compared to the previous year.

"The fourth quarter of 2011 capped off what was yet another strong year for online retail, one in which every quarter achieved double-digit increases versus the prior year," said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni.

"In the face of continuing uncertainty regarding the U.S. economy, consumers increasingly went online for their shopping needs," he said. "Price and convenience continue to be the critical value drivers for ecommerce. And unless those conditions change, we can expect to see more channel-shifting to online in 2012 and perhaps even an acceleration in the current growth trend."

This article was first published on IDEX Online on Feb. 7.





By IDEX Online
FEB 9, 2012
http://www.nationaljeweler.com/nj/majors/a/~27816-IDEX-Online-2011-online-spending