ALTHOUGH TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9 RECORDED $887 MILLION IN SALES, THE HEAVIEST DAY
ON RECORD
RESTON, Va., Dec. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- comScore (Nasdaq: SCOR), a
leader in measuring the digital world, today reported its tracking of holiday
season retail e-commerce spending for the first 42 days of the November --
December 2008 holiday season. For the holiday season through December 12,
$19.44 billion has been spent online, essentially the same level compared to
the corresponding days last year. For the twelve days beginning with December
1 (Cyber Monday), the kick-off to the heaviest part of the online shopping
season, sales totaled $8.26 billion, up 3 percent versus year ago. However,
the most recent work week (December 8-12) saw e-commerce sales decline by a
marginal 1 percent, although December 9 emerged as the highest online spending
day on record. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080115/COMSCORELOGO)
2008 Holiday Season To Date vs. Corresponding Days* in 2007
Non-Travel (Retail) Spending
Excludes Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases
Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations
Source: comScore, Inc.
Holiday Season to Date Millions ($)
2007 2008 Pct Change
November 1 - December 12 $19,487 $19,438 0%
Dec .1 (Cyber Monday) - Dec. 12 $8,003 $8,258 3%
Dec. 8 - Dec. 12 $3,863 $3,810 -1%
*Corresponding days based on equivalent shopping days relative to
Thanksgiving (October 27 - December 7, 2007)
"After a very strong first week of December, e-commerce sales growth
slowed somewhat during the most recent week," said comScore chairman Gian
Fulgoni. "However, the week still managed to see a few particularly strong
spending days, with sales of $887 million on Tuesday, December 9 surpassing
Green Monday last year (December 10, 2007) as the heaviest online spending day
on record. With Christmas now fast approaching, look for online retailers to
continue to offer enticing last-minute deals, including discounts on expedited
shipping, to spur a final wave of spending. In fact, some retailers are even
willing to offer free shipping as late as December 18 this year with a
guarantee that the shipment will arrive by Christmas Eve. It will be
interesting to see the impact that this offer has in terms of pulling
additional spending from retail stores to the online channel."
Top Performing Retail Categories Since Cyber Monday
The fastest growing product categories during the period from December 1
through December 12 were Apparel & Accessories (up 21 percent), Books &
Magazines (up 18 percent), and Flowers, Greetings & Gift (up 18 percent).
Apparel & Accessories, the second largest online retail category by dollar
sales, has seen sales growth as a result of aggressive discounting and
unseasonably cold weather across many parts of the country. Following a strong
week of Cyber Monday that was driven by large discounts on products such as
flat screen TVs, sales of consumer electronics have slowed in the most recent
week. The softest retail categories include Music, Movies & Videos (down 25
percent) and Office Supplies (down 33 percent).
Growth in Dollar Sales of Retail E-Commerce Categories Since Cyber Monday
Non-Travel (Retail) Spending
Excludes Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases
Dec. 1 - Dec. 12, 2008 vs. Corresponding Shopping Days in 2007
Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations
Source: comScore, Inc.
Retail Category Y/Y Percent Change in Category Sales
Apparel & Accessories 21%
Books & Magazines 18%
Flowers, Greetings & Gifts 18%
Sport & Fitness 15%
Video Games, Consoles & Accessories 9%
Computer Hardware 4%
Toys 3%
Consumer Electronics 0%
Jewelry & Watches -4%
Event Tickets -5%
Home, Garden & Furniture -7%
Music, Movies & Videos -25%
Office Supplies -33%
comScore's Summary of 2008 Holiday Online Retail Spending
by Key Time Period
Online Non-Travel (Retail) Holiday Consumer Spending
Excludes Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases
Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations
Source: comScore, Inc.
Millions ($)
2007 2008 Pct Change
January - October $93,551 $102,144 9%
comScore Holiday Season
Forecast (Nov-Dec) $29,169 $29,200** 0%**
November 27 (Thanksgiving Day)* $273 $288 6%
November 28 (Black Friday)* $531 $534 1%
December 1 (Cyber Monday)* $733 $846 15%
* Versus Corresponding Shopping Day in 2007 Relative to Thanksgiving
**Forecast
About comScore
comScore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital
world and preferred source of digital marketing intelligence. For more
information, please visit http://www.comscore.com/companyinfo.
SOURCE comScore, Inc.
Andrew Lipsman of comScore, Inc., +1-312-775-6510, press@comscore.com
