Online retail sales break through $1 billion every week this year
Online retail sales exceeded $1 billion every week throughout the first quarter, bringing total online sales to $13.72 billion through the end of March, up 26.4% from a year ago, according to numbers from comScore Networks Inc.
Online retail sales for the week ending March 28 reached $1.07 billion, up 32% from $810 million in the corresponding week a year ago, comScore reports. Online travel sales were up 35% to $921 million from $680 million, comScore reports.
In March, online retail sales were up 29.4% to $4.62 billion from $3.57 billion in March 2003, comScore reports.
Various reserachers reported different results for total retail sales in March. Sales were down 1.9% from March 2003, reports ShopperTrak’s National Retail Sales Estimate. It was the first month-over-month decline since March 2003, ShopperTrak reports.
The U.S. Commerce Department reported sales were up 1.8% (seasonally adjusted) in March.
The National Reatil Federation reported that the GAFS category (general merchandise, clothing and clothing accessories, furniture and home furnishings, electronics and appliances, and sporting goods, hobby, book and music) rose 8.2% in March and "an astonishing" 9.8% in the first quarter. The Commerce Department numbers include non-general merchandise categories such as autos, gasoline stations and restaurants.
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