Online sales are expected to be a bright spot this holiday season.
Forrester Research estimated that online sales from Thanksgiving weekend to Christmas will increase 42 percent over a year ago to $12.2 billion. The results include travel and auction sites.
Jupiter Research, a division of Jupitermedia Corp., projects that online sales will be up 21 percent to $17 billion for the November and December period. The results exclude travel and auction sites.
From Nov. 1 through Nov. 30, online retail sales reached $5.89 billion, a 22 percent increase from $4.85 billion for the same period a year ago, according to BizRate.com.
Total online sales - excluding travel and auctions - for the week ended Sunday was $1.26 billion, compared with a little more than $1 billion in the year-ago period, according to comScore Network's preliminary data.
Still, despite its growth, online sales are expected to account for only 4.5 percent of annual total retail sales this year, up from 3.6 percent last year, according to Shop.org, an arm of the National Retail Federation. Total retail sales include business from tickets, travel, events and auctions.
Meanwhile, analysts are hoping for business at brick and mortar stores to be up 4 percent to 5 percent over a year ago, which was unchanged from 2001.
The busiest day for brick and mortar stores has been the Saturday before Christmas. Davis expects online holiday sales to peak anywhere from Dec. 11 to 15.
A lot more online retailers are aiming to rope in consumers with free shipping offers this holiday season. This season, 700 companies are offering shipping deals, up from 150 a year ago, according to BizRate.com.
Online merchants said they're well prepared this holiday season, and so far are pleased with sales.
Ken Seiff, CEO of Bluefly.com, which redesigned its site in October, said sales were up 75 percent for the four-day weekend, ended Sunday, compared to the year-ago period.
"Sales started earlier this year," said Seiff, noting an uptick on Thanksgiving. He said Bluefly.com is on track in reaching "the upper end of what we thought was achievable."
apnews.myway.com |
