comScore Networks has just released the results of the first complete review of consumer e-commerce for the first quarter of 2002, reporting that sales at U.S. websites set a new record of more than
$17 billion for the quarter. This level represents an increase of 48% versus one year ago and 8% versus the fourth quarter of 2001.
Excluding Travel, online sales totaled $10.1 billion, reflecting
30% growth over the first quarter of 2001 and a decline of 7% versus the holiday-driven fourth quarter of 2001.
comScore says that after more than three challenging months last fall and winter, the
online travel sector enjoyed an almost immediate resurgence at the start of January 2002. Consumers spent nearly $7 billion at domestic travel sites in Q1 2002, an impressive increase of 87% versus
the same period in 2001 and 39% above Q4 2001. Travel accounted for 41% of total consumer e-commerce sales, a share exceeded only by the 43% level that the sector had achieved in Q3 2001.
“Throughout the holiday season, many consumers suspended their travel plans – and in turn saved their travel dollars,” explained comScore vice president Dan Hess. “Now that many of those same
consumers are taking to the skies again, travel providers and service agencies are benefiting from those newly reopened wallets.”
Previous comScore analysis has found that many holidays are
followed by a short-term online sales lift as postponed consumer demand is met. However, comScore reported that average daily travel sales in each month of the post-holiday first quarter exceeded
those of the prior month. “We saw a new average daily record set every month,” Hess says.
comScore further reported sales trends across major non-travel product categories, with performance varying
based on factors including seasonality and maturity of the Internet as a sales channel for each product type.
Compared to the peak holiday quarter of Q4 2001, Computer Hardware and Consumer
Electronics turned in expected declines of 11% and 37% respectively. And as consumers sought to get the most from recent hardware investments and gifts, online sales of Computer Software grew by 12%.
Top consumer choices in the quarter included online tax preparation and virus protection software.
Consumers bought $581 million in Event Tickets, more than double the prior year’s level and 52%
higher than the prior quarter. Consumer frenzy over March Madness college championship games, the opening of baseball season and upcoming summer concerts helped fuel this jump in sales. Strong demand
for Olympic, NCAA and Super Bowl-related merchandise, as well as post-holiday interest in personal health, drove Sports & Fitness products to log $258 million in sales, up 145% and 14% versus one year
ago and the prior quarter, respectively.
Notably, comScore reported that online Apparel sales were approximately flat (-1%) vs. last year, while Books declined 5%. “Historically these have been
major categories online, but they were also early entrants to e-commerce,” explained Hess. “Given their maturity online, it stands to reason that strong growth will be harder to produce in the months
and years to come.”
comScore's sales figures are based on the actual buying activity of about 1.5 million Internet-using individuals, who have given comScore permission to confidentially monitor
their browsing and buying behavior.