For the first time in history, clothing has outsold computer products in online sales in the United States, according to the “State of Retailing Online Study 2007”, carried out by the prestigious organization “Shop.org”, which gathers the most outstanding companies in B2C e-commerce in the United States. This data does not include the tourism and travel sector, which does by far the highest volume of online business.
Last year Americans spent 1.83 billion dollars on clothing, accessories, and footwear on the Internet, as opposed to the 1.72 billion dollars they invested in the purchase of hardware and software. This trend, according to the study, seems unstoppable. For this year, spending on Internet clothing purchases is expected to increase to 2.21 billion dollars, which would represent 10% of the sector’s total revenue in the United States.
Greater trust in this channel, as well as reliable, user-friendly web sites, and conveniences in sending and returning products help to explain, according to the survey, the boom in Internet clothing sales. After clothing and computer products came automobiles and components (1.67 billion dollars), and home furnishings and accessories (1 billion dollars).
Retail on the Internet is in excellent shape. Of the 170 companies surveyed for the study, 83% claimed to be “in the black” and have higher profits than in 2005. The report predicts that online sales will grow by 17% in 2007 (including tourism and travel), and will reach a total of 25.91 billion dollars this year.