Verizon: Online holiday shopping continues strong, driven by 'a perfect storm'
E-commerce activity spiked late last week and into the weekend as consumers were likely motivated by Free Shipping Friday and other promotional offers from retailers, according to the Holiday Retail Index by Verizon, which monitors daily traffic volume to the top 25 U.S.-based online retailers throughout the holiday shopping season.
Average daily e-commerce traffic volume to U.S.-based retailers was up 16% on Friday (Dec. 15) and 17% on Saturday (Dec. 16) from these same days last year, the report found.
“A perfect storm of last minute shopping, final standard shipping deadlines and great deals continued to drive strong digital commerce activity over the weekend," said Michele Dupre, group VP of retail, hospitality and distribution for Verizon Enterprise Solutions. "Retailers need to pull out all of the stops ahead of Super Saturday for a strong finish.”
With the Christmas countdown clock ticking louder, the coming days for retailers will be critical for incentivizing consumers, including the lucrative procrastinator market, and converting interest to sales, according to Verizon.
“The race is now on and the next hurdle for retailers will be sustaining customer engagement while successfully managing inventory and logistics during the Christmas rush,” said Dupre. “Retailers will need to have tricks up their sleeves to best the competition.”
Average daily e-commerce traffic volume to U.S.-based retailers was up 16% on Friday (Dec. 15) and 17% on Saturday (Dec. 16) from these same days last year, the report found.
“A perfect storm of last minute shopping, final standard shipping deadlines and great deals continued to drive strong digital commerce activity over the weekend," said Michele Dupre, group VP of retail, hospitality and distribution for Verizon Enterprise Solutions. "Retailers need to pull out all of the stops ahead of Super Saturday for a strong finish.”
With the Christmas countdown clock ticking louder, the coming days for retailers will be critical for incentivizing consumers, including the lucrative procrastinator market, and converting interest to sales, according to Verizon.
“The race is now on and the next hurdle for retailers will be sustaining customer engagement while successfully managing inventory and logistics during the Christmas rush,” said Dupre. “Retailers will need to have tricks up their sleeves to best the competition.”