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RAPAPORT... Online metrics firm comScore Inc. reported that retail ecommerce sales in the U.S. jumped 13 percent year on year to $50.2 billion during the first quarter that ended on March 31. The top-performing online product categories were, digital content and subscriptions, apparel and accessories, sport and fitness, consumer electronics and consumer packaged goods all of which grew at least 20 percent year on year.
The ecommerce spending at retailers during the quarter accounted for 10.6 percent of discretionary dollars spent, the highest share on record, according to comScore. Also, comScore’s new ''m-commerce'' spending estimates revealed that apparel and accessories was the highest grossing mobile category with nearly $1 billion in sales in the first quarter. Nearly half of the time consumers spent cruising retailers and making purchases occurred on mobile devices, with smartphones at 34 percent and tablets at 14 percent. “The first quarter of 2013 was fairly strong for online retailers, with total ecommerce sales surpassing $50 billion for only the second time on record,” said comScore's chairman, Gian Fulgoni. “While the year-over-year growth rate of 13 percent remained healthy, it was a point or two below that of the preceding quarters. One potential explanation for this mild deceleration is the payroll tax increase, which went into effect in 2013 and which removed some disposal income from Americans’ wallets. That said, as long as job growth continues and consumer sentiment remains positive, the outlook for ecommerce in 2013 remains bright. However, one wild card is the possible enactment of legislation requiring state sales taxes to be collected on every ecommerce transaction, which would reduce the Internet’s traditional price advantage and possibly dilute the channel’s growth rate.”
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