For the first time ever spending in the retail e-commerce has been above $50 Billion in two consecutive quarters. This is yet another interesting statistic which shows just how quickly people are moving their spending from traditional brick and mortar stores to online options. The report from comScore showed that there was $50.2 Billion in spending for the first quarter of 2013. This is after bringing in $56 Billion for the last quarter of 2012.
The gain for the first quarter of 2013 is 13% over the first quarter of 2012 which is a strong showing, though less than what many people were expecting. Still, 13% is still a huge number when you’re talking about $50+ Billion in spending in a three month time period. The report did not say what percentage of this money was people who are entirely new to e-commerce, and which were simply people where were expanding their overall online shopping.
The report also showed that of the $50 Billion in the first quarter of 2013, $5.9 Billion of the purchases were made using mobile devices including smart phones and tablets. This fits in with all the other data which has come out over the last several months showing that a growing percentage of all types of computer use are moving from the PC over to mobile devices. At this point that growth is showing no real signs of slowing down.
When broken down by type of shopping there were several areas which stood out above the others boasting 20% or more in growth year over year. Digital Content & Subscription services, Sports & Fitness equipment and products, Apparel & Accessories, Consumer electronics and consumer packaged goods. These areas grew significantly in the amount people are spending online, and more specifically online through mobile devices.
This quarter’s numbers will be interesting to see if it can top $50 Billion again or if it will drop below. The second quarter in 2012 only had $43 Billion so it would be quite a jump year over year, but with an improving economy and more and more people becoming comfortable with online shopping it is certainly not something which would surprise too many people.
How was your first quarter this year? Are you noticing an increasing amount of sales from your online businesses? This is an exciting trend in e-commerce and I will be watching it closely to see how the next couple of quarters turn out.
