The FINANCIAL — Despite an economy that continues to be tough for many consumers, another strong US online holiday shopping season is taking shape.
Consumers will turn to the internet to stay within their budgets, locate hard-to-find gifts and avoid crowded stores, according to a new eMarketer report, “Online Holiday Shopping Forecast and Trends.”
US retail ecommerce holiday sales (excluding travel) will reach $54.5 billion in 2012, up 16.8% over last year, according to eMarketer estimates. As eMarketer reported, this will be the fourth consecutive year that online holiday sales (defined as sales in November and December) post annual growth in the mid-to-high teens, after plummeting 8.2% in 2008 during the depths of the Great Recession.
Overall ecommerce retail sales for the year will be disproportionately influenced by the holiday season. eMarketer expects online holiday sales to account for nearly a quarter (24.3%) of the $224.2 billion in US retail ecommerce sales forecast for all of 2012.
While the bulk of online holiday sales continue to take place in the first half of December, key dates in the early and late parts of the season are assuming a greater share of total sales, and posting higher growth than the average for the overall holiday season.
To reach price-driven and less loyal consumers during the peak season, retailers are offering limited-time branded sales events, in addition to event days like Cyber Monday. Large discounts can generate word-of-mouth on social networks, and retailers can stoke this excitement by promoting these events and even offer exclusives to their fans via Facebook and Twitter.
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