Shoppers to Spend 17 Percent of Holiday Budget Online 2

Findings exclude products not normally purchased online such as fuel and automobiles.

The study estimates that U.S. consumers will spend $119.99 billion online from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, a 15.5-percent increase from the $103.8 billion shoppers spent online during the same period last year. Total retail sales are expected to climb 5.5 percent to $719.09 billion compared to the $681.61 billion spent in November and December last year.

“The growth in U.S. e-commerce has been consistent since 2010, averaging 15 percent each year and showing no signs of slowing down,” says Fareeha Ali, director, research strategy, Internet Retailer. “Add to that high consumer confidence, a healthy economy and strong 2018 online growth from

Holiday e-commerce is set to represent 16.7 percent of all holiday spending, up from 15.2 percent in 2017.

“Additionally, our research shows that more shoppers are turning to the web to purchase gifts during peak seasons,” says Ali. “For instance, we estimate 24 percent of all Valentine’s Day purchases this year were online–far more than the overall 13 percent e-commerce penetration in 2017.”

Overall, shoppers are buying more gifts online each year. In 2017, 76 percent of respondents said they purchased at least one-quarter of all gifts through the internet during the 2017 holiday season, 3 percent more than the previous year.