U.S. E-Commerce to Grow 13 Percent in 2013
U.S. e-commerce spending will climb 13.4 percent this year to about $262 billion versus $231 billion last year, according to Forrester Research. Online spending is expected to hit $370 billion in 2017 and account for 10 percent of all U.S. retail sales, compared to 8 percent in both 2012 and 2013. Meanwhile, this year e-commerce in Western Europe will rise 14.3 percent from last year to $165.5 billion, and is expected to reach $247.1 billion in 2017. The Commerce Department recently reported that U.S. e-commerce sales totaled $225.5 billion in 2012, a 15.8 percent gain from 2011, while total retail sales in 2012 reached $4.4 trillion. ComScore estimates online U.S. shoppers spent $186.2 billion last year, up 15 percent from the year before. Forrester expects U.S. e-commerce spending to grow thanks to omnichannel investments by larger retail chains, more smartphone- and tablet-using consumers, and increased comfort with Web shopping. Forrester also predicts that physical retail stores will continue to cede wallet share to e-tailers as online retail growth trumps that of stores.
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Internet Retailer (03/13/13) Rueter, Thad