December 2010 US Online Retail Sales Up 12 Percent YoY

ARMONK, N.Y., Jan. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. online retail sector delivered double-digit growth in December 2010 compared to the same period last year, according to analytics-based findings by IBM IBM. IBM's findings expand on the company's earlier report that both Black Friday 2010 and Cyber Monday 2010 delivered strong double-digit growth over 2009. December 2010 Compared to December 2009 (year/year) Consumer Spending Increases: Online sales were up 12 percent, with consumers pushing the average order value up from $171.06 to $190.42 for an increase of 11.3 percent. Department Stores and Health and Beauty Retailers are Big Winners: Both department stores and health and beauty retailers continue to show growth in online sales that far outpace the online retail sector overall. Both sectors reported sales increases of approximately 23 percent, with department stores reporting an increase of 22.6 percent and healthy and beauty retailers reporting 23.3 percent. Luxury Goods Continue Comeback: Jewelry retailers also reported a significant jump of 18.5 percent in sales. Mobile Shopping: Consumers continue to use mobile technology as a shopping tool. Throughout December, 5.6 percent of all site visits were initiated from a mobile device, a 19 percent increase over November 2010. Further, 5.5 percent of all online retail sales came from mobile devices, a 7 percent increase over November 2010.