Following four consecutive quarters of year-over-year declines, e-commerce spending grew 3% in the fourth quarter of 2009, to $39.0 billion, up from $38.1 billion in the third quarter of 2008, according to comScore.
Total retail e-commerce spending reached $129.8 billion for the full year in 2009, marginally below the previous year's total of $130.1 billion.
Other e-commerce fourth-quarter highlights:
- Spending growth was driven by an increase in online buyers, while average spending per buyer declined a modest amount.
- December 15 (a Tuesday) ranked as the heaviest US online spending day in history at $913 million.
- The largest online retailers, led by Amazon and Wal-Mart, gained market share of e-commerce sales at the expense of small and medium-sized retailers.
- Free shipping factored into more than 40% of e-commerce transactions during the holiday season.
"The fourth quarter, with 3% year-over-year growth, helped end what has been a disappointing year for online consumer spending on a more positive note," said comScore Chairman Gian Fulgoni. "As we head into 2010, there is reason for guarded optimism for online retail spending to continue to gain share of consumers' wallets.
"At the same time, I expect absolute growth to be stymied by continued high unemployment and the deleveraging that is occurring in the economy as consumers exercise their new-found propensity to save."
