comScore: Holiday online spending to rise 16% to $61 billion

RESTON, Va. — Total online retail spending for the November–December period will reach $61.0 billion, a 16% gain versus year ago, according to comScore’s 2014 holiday forecast. Spending using desktop computers for that period is expected to reach $53.2 billion, up 14% year-over-year, which is 4 percentage points higher than last season’s 10-percent growth rate.



Mobile commerce is predicted to account for $7.9 billion of retail spending, representing 13% of total digital commerce and growing at an annual rate of 25% vs. last season.



“The 2014 online holiday shopping season is shaping up to be a bright one with more than $61 billion in spending expected, representing a year-over-year growth rate of 16 percent across desktop, smartphones and tablets,” said Gian Fulgoni, executive chairman emeritus of comScore. “Although some lasting effects of the great recession still provide some overhang on the economy, many of the latest indicators point toward signs of optimism for consumer spending during the holidays. Negative economic sentiment is at a five-year low, the stock market is near all-time highs, and inflation has been kept in check.”



comScore today also released its estimates of third quarter 2014 U.S. desktop e-commerce sales. Desktop spending rose 13% year-over-year to $53.9 billion, marking the twentieth consecutive quarter of positive year-over-year growth and sixteenth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth. It also represented a rebound of 3 percentage points from the 10-percent growth rate in Q2 2014.



Mobile-commerce spending on smartphones and tablets in the third quarter added $6.7 billion for the quarter, up 17% vs. year ago, for a digital commerce spending total of $60.6 billion in the quarter.