US online holiday shopping season hits record US$37.2bn for Nov-Dec
Ten individual shopping days this season surpassed US$1bn in spending, led by Cyber Monday - which ranked #1 for the second consecutive year - at US$1.25bn.
| 2011 Holiday Season To Date vs. Seasonally Equivalent Days in 2010 Non-Travel (Retail) Spending Excludes Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases Total US - Home & Work Locations (Source: comScore, Inc) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Millions (US$) | |||
| 2010 | 2011 | Percent Change | |
| November 1 - December 31 | US$32,359* | US$37,170 | 15% |
| Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 24) | US$407 | US$479 | 18% |
| Black Friday (Nov. 25) | US$648 | US$816 | 26% |
| Thanksgiving Weekend (Nov. 26-27) | US$886 | US$1,031 | 16% |
| Cyber Monday (Nov. 28) | US$1,028 | US$1,251 | 22% |
| Green Monday (Dec. 12) | US$954 | US$1,133 | 19% |
| Free Shipping Day (Dec. 16) | US$942 | US$1,072 | 14% |
* 2010 data incorporates seasonal adjustment factor to account for different number of weekdays and weekends in 2010 and 2011. Actual (i.e. non-seasonally adjusted) 2010 number was US$32.589bn.
"The 2011 online holiday shopping finished with slightly more than US$37bn in spending, up about 15% versus year ago," said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni. "With brick-and-mortar holiday retail estimated to have grown about 4% this year, it's clear that e-commerce continues to gain market share from traditional retail due to the attractiveness of the Internet's convenience and lower prices. Consumers were especially attracted to the deals and discounts available through digital channels - particularly free shipping, which occurred on well over half of transactions this season. Despite their continuing price sensitivity, consumers felt a bit more comfortable opening up their wallets this year, although this appears to have occurred as a result of a decline in the savings rate. Nonetheless, it's clear that, at least on the basis of top line growth, this was a Merry Christmas for many online retailers. What will remain unknown until retailers report their financial year end results is whether the aggressive pricing and free shipping offers came at the cost of lower margins."
Top 10 online spending days of 2011 holiday season
Cyber Monday (Monday, Nov. 28) ranked as the heaviest online spending day of the year at US$1.251bn, the second consecutive year it has ranked #1 for the season. The 2011 holiday season was highlighted by 10 individual spending days surpassing US$1bn in sales, as compared to just one day reaching that mark in 2010. The second heaviest spending day this season was Monday, Dec. 5 at US$1.178bn, followed by Green Monday (Monday, Dec. 12) at US$1.133bn. Tuesday, Nov. 29 (US$1.116bn) and Tuesday, Dec. 6 (US$1.107bn) rounded out the top five.
| Billion Dollar Spending Days for 2011 Holiday Season Non-Travel (Retail) Spending Excludes Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases Total US - Home & Work Locations (Source: comScore, Inc) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Date | Spending in Millions (US$) |
| 1 | Monday, Nov. 28 (Cyber Monday) | US$1,251 |
| 2 | Monday, Dec. 5 | US$1,178 |
| 3 | Monday, Dec. 12 (Green Monday) | US$1,133 |
| 4 | Tuesday, Nov. 29 | US$1,116 |
| 5 | Tuesday, Dec. 6 | US$1,107 |
| 6 | Friday, Dec. 16 (Free Shipping Day) | US$1,072 |
| 7 | Tuesday, Dec. 13 | US$1,064 |
| 8 | Wednesday, Nov. 30 | US$1,025 |
| 9 | Thursday, Dec. 8 | US$1,024 |
| 10 | Thursday, Dec. 15 | US$1,018 |
Weekly online holiday retail sales
Source: comScore
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