Study: Online growth remains modest this holiday season

E-commerce may lose some appeal among shoppers this holiday season.



While some industry analysts are predicting more than 15% increases in e-commerce growth during the 2016 shopping season, NetElixir’s “2016 Holiday Outlook” report predicts that e-commerce growth may only hit 11%. This conservative gain is being blamed on earlier-than-usual promotions and purchasing of holiday gifts; retailers’ use of online marketplaces rather than exclusively selling directly on their sites, and the uncertain political environment.



“Our projections for this holiday season indicate that retailers shouldn’t expect this year to bring in the same types of gains that the past few years have brought,” said Udayan Bose, founder and CEO of NetElixir.



The report indicated that is a surge in mobile commerce will also impact ecommerce. Specifically, mobile shopping is expected to drive more than 35% of last-click conversions this holiday season. As always, Amazon also remains a competitive threat, especially as the pure play retailer could claim between 28% and 30% of holiday sales this year — a jump from 26% in 2015, the report said.



“Between the ecommerce slowdown, an uptick in mobile purchases, and Amazon taking a larger share of the season, retailers should be aligning their digital marketing efforts to match consumers’ attention and interests,” Bose said. “Catching a consumer on the right device at the right moment and time is of the utmost importance, and will help retailers to have a more fruitful holiday season.”