The news on the home front has been a steady increase in home sales for the past few months. Now an e-commerce systems provider reports that heightened interest in home investments may be reflected in increased sales at home furnishings sites.
While admittedly unscientific because the data represent sales at only three sites—ArtPassions.com, BathtubStore.com and Foamiture.com—Avid Commerce LLC reports that sales at the three sites in June were 5.2% higher than sales in May; 33.9% higher in July from June; and 81.1% higher in August from July.
“While the sample size is small, the sales trend for our clients serving the housing market is especially interesting in view of the recent improvements in housing starts, existing home sales and consumer confidence,” says Stephen Antisdel, managing director of Avid Commerce. “I’m not saying we’re out-of-the-woods yet for the economy in general, but the trends seem to be confirming that the housing market is coming back.”
Antisdel also notes that the sales-increase numbers come from data analysis, not self-reporting by retailers. “The May through August, month-over-month percentages are indisputable,” Antisdel says. “It’s not a case where the retailers are reporting this trend; we read the numbers from our back-end systems, independently.”
While Avid Commerce does not have year-over-year data for the sites, one retailer does report a significant increase over last year. “Over the last three months we had a record increase in our sales over the same time last year,” says Steve Leeper of Foamiture.com. “The design enhancements and upgrades we’ve made to our web site have kicked in across the Internet, making our site easier to find and more enjoyable to use. Plus, we think our customers sense the economy is beginning to turn around. They’re increasingly willing to make those larger purchases for their home that they might have been delaying until now.”
The U.S. Department of Commerce reports that new home sales in May were up 4.9% from the prior month; in June, they were up 9.1% from May; and in July, 9.6% from June.
Back...
