Online retail outside the travel sector continues to grow at a healthy pace, as in the second quarter it grew 23 percent ending at $27.2 billion, up from $22.2 billion in the second quarter of 2006.
All e-commerce in the U.S. grew by 19 percent, increasing to $47.5 billion, said marketingcharts citing comScore.
“Retail e-commerce rebounded solidly in the second quarter after a modest start to the year,” said Gian Fulgoni, chairman of comScore. “After posting 17% growth versus year ago in Q1, retail e-commerce sales grew 23% year-over-year in Q2, matching the growth rates we’ve seen during the past couple of years.”
The top category in online retail was videogames in the second quarter. Including consoles and acessories, sales increased by 159 percent from 2006, driven mainly by sales of Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3.
Other major categories with large gains were the sports and fitness field which brought an increase of 58 percent. Consumer electronics was also strong, increasing by 51 percent. Tickets for events followed with a growth of 44 percent for the quarter.
Fulgoni added retail sales online could reach $200 billion for 2007, and with the big season ahead of us, it could reach even higher. Online retail spending for 2006 reached $170.8 billion, including travel.
The study also found those exposed to online advertising were 41 percent more likely to buy products in-store against those that hadn't been exposed to online advertising and information.
Another important finding was for every dollar spent for online advertising, six dollars were spent in the physical store as a result.
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