"While the third quarter opened sluggishly, sales in August and September climbed strongly, reflecting continued strength in consumer spending," said Michelle David Adams, comScore Networks vice president.
Online Consumer Dollar Sales at U.S. Sites
Excluding Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases
3Q 2002 ($ Millions) | % Change Vs. Year-Ago | % Change Vs. Prior Quarter | |
TOTAL | $17,892 | 35% | 2% |
Non-Travel | $9,858 | 30% | 1% |
Travel | $8,034 | 40% | 3% |
Late-breaking sales data indicate that the fourth quarter opened strongly, with sales of non-travel goods totaling $918 million during the week ending October 6, the highest level posted in the year to date.
"Given increased momentum in the early weeks of October, the industry is poised to meet - and potentially exceed - comScore's fourth quarter non-travel expectation of $13.8 billion," said Adams.
Each of the top-ten non-retail consumer e-commerce categories posted year-over-year quarterly gains between 10 percent and 47 percent. Computer Hardware continues to be the largest non-travel product category, and with aggressive pricing by Dell and others, the sector is also an e-commerce growth leader. The Consumer Electronics category also was boosted by aggressive marketing behind such products as DVD players, digital cameras and game consoles.
Online Consumer Sales at U.S. Sites (Excluding Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases)
Top 10 Non-Travel
Product Categories
Q3 2002 ($Millions) Spending | % Change Vs. Year-Ago | % Change Vs.Prior Quarter | |
Computer Hardware | $2,661 | 35% | 17% |
Office | $1,422 | 47% | -7% |
Apparel & Accessories | $1,312 | 22% | 4% |
Consumer Electronics | $844 | 18% | 18% |
Books | $538 | 10% | -5% |
Event Tickets | $448 | 33% | -33% |
Home & Garden | $388 | 16% | -12% |
Health & Beauty | $259 | 21% | -14% |
Sport & Fitness | $252 | 47% | 12% |
Movies & Video | $202 | 34% | 1% |