E-Commerce Grows 16 Percent in 2012
U.S. e-commerce sales totaled $225.5 billion last year, up from $194.7 billion in 2011, representing a nearly 16 percent gain, according to U.S. Commerce Department data. Commerce also estimated that 5.2 percent of total retail spending took place online last year, up from 4.7 percent in 2011. Meanwhile, Internet Retailer estimates that on a non-adjusted basis, excluding sales in categories not commonly bought online, e-commerce constituted 8.8 percent of total retail sales during the fourth quarter, versus 7.8 percent a year earlier. Meanwhile, comScore reports that apparel was a popular purchase for online shoppers in the fourth quarter of last year, as much as 15 percent of total spending on apparel during the final three months of 2012 was online. ComScore also found that e-commerce sales made with tablets posted a 49 percent year-over-year increase in the fourth quarter of 2012. The company notes that the use of tablets for online shopping will be one of the biggest trends in e-commerce this year, along with transactions performed on social networking sites.
From “E-Commerce Grows 16 Percent in 2012”
Internet Retailer (02/15/13) Deatsch, Katie