Online Holiday Spending - A Disappointing Increase So Far

Last week we reported that consumers satisfaction with online retail was down from last year.  Now there were significant increases in online spending over the holiday weekend, compared with last year, with Comscore reporting an increase of 10% on Thanksgiving day, 11% on Black Friday and 5% on Cyber Monday.

Last week we (ForeSee Results) suggested that the decrease in satisfaction did not bode well for the future and caused us concern, further suggesting - "While we should see a modest increase in online sales overall this year, it will be the retailers who are satisfying customers online who will reap the true rewards".

The holiday season seems to be playing out as we expected.  Comscore reported on Sunday that for the period from November 1 through December 4th online sales were up only 4%.  Still an increase, but far less then what we were seeing through the promotion driven holiday weekend.  They went on to further report that the top 25 online retailers were up 13% from November 1-30 compared to a decline of 10% by smaller retailers.  Now, there are not a lot of details as to who is in the top 25, etc., but we know one thing for sure.  Amazon, who has traditionally excelled in satisfying its consumers, is the biggest online retailer by everyone's standards.  What we saw last year in our research and are expecting to play out again in this year's holiday research is the strong get stronger and the weak struggle to survive.  Those that satisfy their customers will gain market share...and those that don't will suffer.

I am excited to see the results of consumer satisfaction with online retailers from last week to see how the rest of the holiday season will play out.

Now a couple of questions for you.

• What are your online spending levels compared to last year?
• Are you doing more of your online shopping at the "big and best" online retailers?

Comments

[Riccar vacuum bags]

I have nothing but praise for the federal agencies that continue to improve their citizen-centered Web sites despite tight dollars," said Anne Kelly, CEO of the Federal Consulting Group.

[Zyliss cheese grater]

Even a modest increase on the ACSI eGov score is a step in the right direction--satisfying their customers. Agencies are doing a fantastic job with Web development, but there will always be a few bumps in the road. In the end, agencies will save money as more and more citizens move to federal Web sites to get information and transact An earlier e-commerce system for the Web from Open Market that included order capture and secure order fulfillment using credit cards, ecash and other payment systems. It included customer service and subscription administration capabilities as well as an integrated database for reporting business. Everybody wins and hopefully everybody will be satisfied.

[rapidshare downloads]

Agencies are doing a fantastic job with Web development, but there will always be a few bumps in the road.

[Rapidshare Downloads]

Yeah does make a lot of sense.

[Flat brim hats]

For the first 36 days of the November-December holiday season, online holiday spending reached nearly $16 billion, comScore said, up 3 percent from a year ago. For the week ending December 6, comScore said online holiday spending rose 3 percent to $4.6 billion.

[Rear tine tillers]

Online holiday shopping season has declined 3 percent versus year ago, falling behind our expectation of flat sales this year.

[Beavers bend cabins]

OK maybe I am a moron (Shut up Greg) but I am missing something here. I go to submit items and simply “no” it is not easier. I have a bunch of communities and groups I submit to and they are no longer there. Submitting is not easier. I liked the old submission protocol MUCH MUCH BETTER.

[Sweet sixteen ideas]

Agencies are doing a fantastic job with Web development, but there will always be a few bumps in the road. In the end, agencies will save money as more and more citizens move to federal Web sites to get information and transact

[Masks for masquerade ball]

We've just completed and released our analysis of satisfaction with the Top 40 e-retailers in the UK, and it's great news: satisfaction increases across the board. Since satisfaction calculated using the scientific methodology used in this study predicts sales, loyalty, and even stock prices, this is great news for many top UK e-retailers.

[Used furniture stores]

Unfortunately, it arrived after the comScore reporting period, so any positive effects from that release won't appear until this quarter.

[Teapots for sale]

I have nothing but praise for federal agencies to further enhance its citizen-centered Web sites despite adjusted dollars, said Ana Kelly, CEO of the Federal Consulting Group.

[All my children spoilers]

During the first 36 days of the holiday season of November and December, holiday online spending reached nearly $ 16 billion, according to comScore, up 3 percent from a year ago.

[Wedding program samples]

During the first 37 days of the holiday season of November and December, holiday online spending reached nearly $ 16 billion, according to comScore, up 3 percent from a year ago. For the week ending on 06 December, comScore said that online holiday spending rose 2 percent to $ 4.7 billion.