Christmas 2001 E-tail Statistics

Volume II - Issue I - January 2002

E-Commerce

E-Tailers Win in Christmas 2001

David Mortenson
Editor, EZ-NetAdvantage

Congratulations to all e-tailers! Despite general economic concerns and what economists are calling the e-commerce bubble correction, Christmas 2001 was an excellent season for e-tailers everywhere. The following statistics were reported in www.emarketer.com and were compiled from Goldman Sachs, Harris Interactive and Nielsen//NetRatings.

According to reports, US residents alone spent $13.8 billion online in November and December! The following chart breaks down American spending by week. Notice that nearly 40 percent of that spending occurred in just two weeks.

According to an article from Ipsos-Reid, nearly two-thirds of American Internet users have bought something online. And they have more good news for online retailers. In the same article, Ipsos-Reid cites that most of those who have shopped online were quite satisfied with their experience and will increase online shopping in the next year!

Returning to this year's Christmas season, eMarketer reported the percentage of the US Population that had made an Internet purchase during the months of November and December 2001. Again, the weeks just following Thanksgiving showed the highest numbers with 20% of Americans making a purchase online during the week ending December 7th.

A few important lessons can be learned from these reports. First, online American shoppers have a tendency to do most of their shopping in the two weeks following Thanksgiving. This is likely due to concerns about receiving their packages in time for the holidays. Second, the factors that caused so many of the e-tail giants to close up shop in the past little while do not need to frighten you. E-commerce is firmly here to stay, and those e-tail businesses who maintain their focus, work from a solid business model and provide the best customer support will survive and succeed!