Commerce Dept: Online Retail Sales Up 18% in Q1

May 17, 2007

This article is included in these additional categories:

Retail & E-Commerce

U.S. retail e-commerce sales for the first quarter of 2007, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences but not for price changes, reached an estimated $31.5 billion – an increase of 18.4 percent (±4.5%) from the $26.6 billion in the first quarter of 2006, according to the Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce.

The first quarter 2007 e-commerce estimate increased 3.0 percent (±1.3%) from the previous quarter’s $30.6 billion.

Total retail sales for the first quarter of 2007 were estimated at $999.5 billion, an increase of 1.7 percent (±0.3%) from the fourth quarter of 2006 – and an increase of 3.2 percent (±0.7%) from the year-earlier period.

E-commerce sales in the first quarter of 2007 accounted for 3.2 percent of total retail sales.

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On a not-adjusted basis, the estimate of U.S. retail e-commerce sales for the first quarter of 2007 totaled $30.6 billion, a decrease of 13.4 percent (±1.3%) from the fourth quarter of 2006. The first quarter 2007 e-commerce estimate increased 18.4 percent (±4.5%) from the first quarter of 2006 while total retail sales increased 4.0 percent (±0.7%) in the same period. E-commerce sales in the first quarter of 2007 accounted for 3.3 percent of total sales.

“Missing from the Commerce Department numbers are sales on eBay.com that could be construed as retail sales. Some observers believe that could be about 60% of eBay sales, which translates into about $31 billion,” writes Internet Retailer.

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Note: Quarterly retail e-commerce estimates were revised based on the results of the 2005 Annual Retail Trade Survey, the Census Bureau said. It revised not adjusted and adjusted estimates for fourth quarter 1999 through fourth quarter 2006.

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