Online retail sales declined by 1% in the second quarter compared to online sales a year ago, totaling $30.2 billion, comScore Inc. reports. It’s the second quarter of online sales shrinkage; Q4 2008 was the first such quarter. Online sales were flat in Q1 versus a year ago.
Online sales fared well, however, compared to total retail sales. According to preliminary second-quarter figures from the U.S. Department of Commerce and calculated by Internet Retailer, Q2 sales excluding autos, auto parts and restaurant sales were down 5.8% compared to a year ago. A portion of that decline is attributable to the slide in gasoline prices in the past year, although gas prices have risen from their low at the beginning of this year. Thus total retail sales excluding autos and auto parts, restaurants and gasoline station sales were down 3.7%.
“The marginally negative growth in Q2, on the heels of flat growth in Q1, signals that online retail spending has yet to turn the corner after a disappointing end to last year,” says comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni. “Unfortunately, it appears that the reality of nearly 10% unemployment and rising gas prices, coupled with an increased savings rate, continue to hold down consumers’ discretionary spending and it may still take some time to dig our way out of this recession.”
The fastest-growing online categories in Q2 2009 compared to a year ago were Toys & Hobbies, which grew 21%, followed by Books & Magazines, up 17%, and Video Games, Consoles & Accessories, up 15%.
In Q2 a year ago, online sales were up 13% compared to the year before.
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