Cyber Monday Sales Growth Driven by Increase in Spending per Buyer
Cyber Monday’s 16-percent growth in sales versus year ago was driven primarily by an increase in average spending per buyer (up 12 percent) while the number of buyers on Cyber Monday grew by a lower 4 percent to 9 million. The average spending per transaction grew 10 percent to $60.05, while the total number of transactions increased 6 percent to 17.1 million.
Buying at Work Drives Cyber Monday Spending
Nearly half of dollars spent online at U.S. Web sites originated from work computers (48.9 percent), representing a decline of 3.8 percentage points from last year. Buying from home comprised the majority of the remaining share (45.4 percent) while buying at U.S. Web sites from international locations accounted for 5.8 percent of sales.
“Since its inception, e-commerce activity has been driven heavily by people making online purchases while at work, an effect that is magnified on Cyber Monday as people return to their desks after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend,” added Mr. Fulgoni. “While online shopping from work originally occurred to take advantage of broadband speeds that people lacked at home, it was widely believed that this would decline markedly as home broadband connectivity increased. The fact that spending from work remains so prevalent suggests other explanations. It is more likely that consumers continue to shop from work primarily because by doing so they are able to shop for holiday gifts while minimizing the risk that their children, spouses and significant others might see what Santa will bring .”
Weekly Online Holiday Retail Sales