Online Shopping Sales Plateau In July, According To The Latest NRF/Forrester Online Retail Index
The National Retail Federation (NRF) and Forrester Research, Inc. (Nasdaq: FORR), in conjunction with Greenfield Online, today announced the results of the latest NRF/Forrester Online Retail Index. According to the seventh survey in this monthly series, total sales of online spending increased by less than 1% — from $4.01 billion in June to $4.03 billion in July.
“The results of the July Index didn’t come as a surprise, since, historically, less shopping goes on in the summer months,” said Scott Silverman, NRF vice president, Internet Retailing. “We look forward to seeing how online shopping trends evolve as we move into fall — and particularly in light of the upcoming holiday season.”
Office supplies was the low-priced, small-ticket category that experienced the greatest increase — from $110 million in June to nearly $150 million in July. Spending on videos increased from $80 million in June to $94 million in July; footwear and apparel rose collectively from $197 million to $214 million; and sporting goods went from $76 million in June to $79 million in July.
For big-ticket items, the highest sales increase occurred in the appliances category, jumping to $50 million in July from $30 million in June. Furniture sales also grew, going from $42 million in June to $50 million in July. Computer hardware experienced the largest decrease for big-ticket items, falling from $424 million in June to $377 million in July.
About The Index
The NRF/Forrester Online Retail Index measures, on a monthly basis, the growth and seasonality of online shopping based on data collected from online shoppers. The Index is based on 5,000 responses during the first 10 business days of the month from an online panel developed by Greenfield Online. The survey results for July were fielded from August 1, 2000, through August 5, 2000.
The monthly panel is weighted to Forrester Research’s Benchmark Panel, which surveyed nearly 90,000 US and Canadian members of a consumer mail panel developed by NPD Group, a market research firm. Data was weighted to demographically represent the North American population. The survey was fielded from late November 1999 to February 2000.
About The National Retail Federation
The National Retail Federation is the world’s largest retail trade association with membership that encompasses all retail formats and channels of distribution including department, specialty, discount, catalog, Internet, and independent stores. NRF members represent an industry that encompasses more than 1.4 million US retail establishments, employs more than 20 million people — about 1 in 5 American workers — and registered 1999 sales of $3.0 trillion. NRF’s international members operate stores in more than 50 nations. In its role as the retail industry’s umbrella group, NRF also represents 32 national and 50 state associations in the US as well as 36 international associations representing retailers abroad. The Index can be found on the National Retail Federation Web site at www.nrf.com.
About Greenfield Online
Greenfield Online, Inc. is a totally Internet-enabled, full-service marketing research provider. The company’s core business is to conduct online custom consumer andbusiness-to-business studies that are faster, better, and richer than traditional marketing research. Greenfield’s Digital Consumer tracking studies examine e-commerce subjects and important vertical markets. Incorporated in 1995, Greenfield Online is headquartered in Wilton, Conn., with a satellite office in San Francisco. For additional information about Greenfield Online and its services, please visit the company’s Web site at www.greenfield.com.