• by Ray Schultz , December 16, 2021

Digital sales hit $61 billion in the U.S. in the post-Cyber Week period from November 30 to December 13 -- a 3% hike YoY, according to an analysis by Salesforce.  

Globally, sales hit $268 billion, showing zero growth during the same period.  

However, sales growth picked up from Friday, December 10 to Monday, December 13 as shoppers rushed to beat the December 15 shipping cutoff: There was an 8% boost in the U.S. and 4% across the globe. 

But there was bad news for shoppers: The average discount rate fell to 17% in the U.S. -- a 12% decrease from last year at this time, perhaps reflecting an 8% falloff in product availability.

Globally, discounts slid to 16% as product availability fell to 7%. 

Meanwhile, the average selling price jumped by 25% in the U.S. and 9% globally as a result of Buy Now, Pay Later offerings. Seven percent of all online orders worldwide were processed using this option, with 48% growth YoY.

The strongest growth was seen in these product areas:

• Luxury handbags — +34%
• Furniture — +31%  
• Electronics & Accessories — +30% 

“Early December data confirms that holiday demand has smoothed out this year, with consumers shopping early and often,” said Rob Garf, vice president and general manager of retail, Salesforce. 

Garf adds: “While a spike in digital sales never came during or after Cyber Week, retailers should be encouraged by how steady digital shopping habits and sales have been in the face of higher prices, fewer discounts, and less inventory.”

Salesforce analyzed aggregated data from the activity of over a billion global shoppers across more than 54 countries powered by Commerce Cloud, along with Marketing Cloud and Service Cloud data from retailers.