After three quarters of year-over-year declines, e-commerce sales grew by 1.8% in the third quarter to a seasonally adjusted total of $34.0 billion, the U.S. Department of Commerce reported today. Total retail sales declined 7.5% compared to the same quarter a year ago.
E-commerce sales in the third quarter were 4.5% higher than in the second quarter of 2009, while total retail sales increased 1.7% quarter over quarter.
Not adjusting for seasonal variations, e-commerce sales totaled $32.0 billion, an increase of 2.1% from the third quarter of 2008, the Commerce Department says. Total retail sales declined 7.8% year over year on a non-adjusted basis.
The web accounted for 3.4% of total sales by the Commerce Department’s reckoning, which does not include sales on eBay. The Commerce Department figure for total retail sales includes purchases of such items as gasoline, automobiles and restaurant meals that are rarely carried out online.
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