Online Shopping on Par with Last Year's Holiday Season

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AuctionBytes Blog
News and insight focusing on
ecommerce and the online auction industry
by Ina Steiner, Editor of AuctionBytes.com

December 07, 2008

Online Shopping on Par with Last Year's Holiday Season

By: Ina Steiner

Sun Dec 7 2008 20:58:30

ComScore reports that holiday online spending is now on par with last year. Retail ecommerce spending for the first 35 days of the November - December 2008 holiday season, through December 5, reached $14.92 billion, essentially the same level compared to the corresponding days last year.

The ComScore numbers suggest consumers were holding off until Thanksgiving before gearing up for holiday shopping. The fastest growing product categories during the period from December 1 through December 5 were Sport & Fitness (up 35 percent) and Consumer Electronics (up 24 percent), which saw sales surge as a result of significant price reductions on many items, including flat panel TVs.

As far as traffic, the "Retail Site Category" as a whole was up 2 percent during December 1 - 5, 2008 vs. corresponding shopping days in 2007. eBay was the number-one retail site in terms of traffic, but down 9 percent from last year. Amazon sites came in second place, with traffic up 10 percent, and Wal-Mart came in third place, with traffic up 7 percent.

ComScore Chairman Gian Fulgoni cautioned that the compressed time period between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year - five days shorter than last year - meant continued strong growth through Christmas was necessary to at least match this year's holiday spending to that of last year's.

Comments (19) | Permalink

Readers Comments

Online Shopping on Par with Last Year's Holiday Season

by: gaga

Sun Dec 7 22:57:53 2008

The danger time for most on-line businesses will be Late Jan –March 2009, if you get thro this window you will be fine.
What these surveys don’t take into account is the feel good factor of Christmas shopping and that of giving…(Christmas would never be cancelled)then the nightmare of credit card bills arriving late Jan & reality kicks back in big style.
The worst has not even shown it’s head yet …get ready for the collapse of the $ in Feb09

Online Shopping on Par with Last Year's Holiday Season

by: eBuyer Feedback

Sun Dec 7 23:54:44 2008

Whatever happened to no negatives for buyers translating to more buyers paying more money?

Online Shopping on Par with Last Year's Holiday Season

by: Paul Lumpkin

Mon Dec 8 01:56:44 2008

Nowhere is online shopping more on par with last years results than eBay. The eBay management is doing a terrific job transforming what used to be a ''Wild West'' marketplace into what has become a prime venue and a bastion of trust and confidence. In coming months, it will stand alone as the leader in this area and thus its markets will accordingly expand and its sellers prosper. That is what comprises the innovations eBay has undertaken in the last few years even though many sellers could not see this in the longer term. As the economy gradually improves, sellers should experience an upsurge in pricing power as well as increasing throughput volumes so there shouldn't be any longterm concern illicited by the upcoming fee increases to be rolled out in January. Never has the picture looked more optimistic than now, so sellers should climb aboard, put their best foot forward, and sell victoriously.

Online Shopping on Par with Last Year's Holiday Season

by: FOAD Ebay

Mon Dec 8 04:00:52 2008

gaga wrote:
" then the nightmare of credit card bills arriving late Jan & reality kicks back in big style "

Then there'll be a whole flood of chargebacks and Paypal will give everyone their money back.

Very good Mr.Lumpkin, they've done a great job of transforming what used to be a "Wild West" marketplace into a completely different "Wild West" marketplace, the only difference now is that all the scammers are buyers and not sellers. Before at least if you weren't a dumb buyer you wouldn't get ripped off, but now sellers have ZERO protection. eBay decided that dumb buyers needed to be protected against their own stupidity and they thought that they had more than enough sellers that they could squeeze them for every last cent. But when all the good sellers started leaving they were forced to bring in the likes of buy.com to make up the shortfall in the listings. Just a temporary measure to fool their shareholders.

Why the hell would anyone in their right mind want to sell on ebay if they are forced to use a payment system that doesn't even attempt to protect them. Let alone the fact that their listing show up pages behind the likes of buy.com who pay shag all fees. Eh no thanks. The sooner eBay dies the better.

Online Shopping on Par with Last Year's Holiday Season

by: Susan

Mon Dec 8 07:21:52 2008

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Susan

http://www.car-insurance-choices.co
m

Online Shopping on Par with Last Year's Holiday Season

by: ss

Mon Dec 8 08:01:38 2008

@ paul lumpkin

Excuse me while I go throw up.

Online Shopping on Par with Last Year's Holiday Season

by: Randy S

Mon Dec 8 19:20:21 2008

our sales are up too

Online Shopping on Par with Last Year's Holiday Season

by: Randy S

Mon Dec 8 19:21:18 2008

our sales are up too

Online Shopping on Par with Last Year's Holiday Season

by: Ming the Merciless

Mon Dec 8 19:36:17 2008

I see Paul Lumpkin apparently has either gotten a hold of some mushroom laced eggnog or is testing the waters a fiction writer.

Otherwise, what tripe.

Death to IT corp. victoriously.

Online Shopping on Par with Last Year's Holiday Season

by: nonya

Mon Dec 8 20:04:37 2008

Ebay blah blah blah, done with them.

I think as more people wash their business hands of Ebay, the Ebay articles will become less relevant so kudos on checking out how ''other'' sites are doing financially!

Would like to see more articles on Bonanzle, Ecrater, SeeAuctions and Ebid.
Is there any way to get a breakdown of which sites have more of what item?

Bonanzle seems to have a solid base of resellers and electronics, Ecrater has a mix, SeeAuctions seems to be holding a tight rein on what types of antiques and collectibles can be listed (we dig their QUALITY CONTROL commitment!) and Ebid seems to be a catch-all for ''everything else''.

Etsy took in a lot of the vintage/collectible resellers who quit Ebay, but Etsy failed to hold onto their ''quality control'' mantra and currently Etsy is swamped with everything in the ''Under $20.'' category but the ''good'' goods have fled.

Obviously Ebay stinks and sellers not selling general merchandise have left(and after months of waiting for a repreive have finally moved on permanently), but curious where they have gone to.

Our own website is kicking butt, but having an auction site to help increase the bottom line is a bonus we're unwilling to give up on.

Have been looking at Etsy, E Crater and Bonanzle for months but not seeing a huge increase of over $50. vintage/collectible items selling on those sites yet.

''Yes Virginia, there really is life after Ebay''

Online Shopping on Par with Last Year's Holiday Season

by: Wishing u the best

Mon Dec 8 20:09:24 2008

Why doesn't sellers know that sales are down everywhere? It is not just eBay.

People keep saying their sales are down and it is all ebay's fault. But have you ever think to look at the economy? People are tight on money and no longer buying your crap.

Maybe you need to change your products or market them a different way. There are changes everywhere. Change with it or just complaint. It is really up to you. Maybe you need to try a new venue or change your method. Believe it or not there are ebay sellers that are doing well.

I know what you are going to say. I am an employee. I am not a seller. I am an ebay troll. I am a bad buyer. I am this, I am that.

I really don't care. I will continue to use the venue that works for me. Have a great day and I sincerely hope that you will succeed wherever you choose to sell.

Online Shopping on Par with Last Year's Holiday Season

by: Javier - an eBay employee

Mon Dec 8 22:53:45 2008

People keep talking bad about John Donohoe, but I met the man. And he truly cares about people. Not just the big people, but the little people too. Like me, for example. I make just $14.62 per hour plus benefits. But John Donohoe says that we matter as emplyees of eBay to ensure the kind of customer experience that people want to come back to again, and again, and again, and again. I have to say in all honesty that I love my Job. I really do. Everyday, I have a chance to help people. I really really love my job.

Online Shopping on Par with Last Year's Holiday Season

by: FOAD Ebay

Mon Dec 8 23:07:39 2008

What customer experience are you talking about Javier? Because it's certainly not sellers you are talking about as there is NO customer support for them. Nothing but automated emails fobbing them off instead of helping them with their problems. Remember the Sellers are ebays customers, they are the ones who pay your wages, not the buyers. The problem with ebays new mentality is that they think the buyers are THEIR customers and they're the ones they are looking after. The buyers are the customers of the sellers and the sellers are customers of ebay.

Online Shopping on Par with Last Year's Holiday Season

by: Henrietta

Tue Dec 9 00:19:48 2008

My website sales November 1st to date are double last years. I think probably because I got better at promoting it, redesigned my index page to be easier to navigate and basically learned more. Considering what I sell could in no way be considered essential, I am pleased. This has been a good year and my overhead is a fraction of what it was on eBay.

http://www.200westmain.com

Online Shopping on Par with Last Year's Holiday Season

by: joyful alternative

Tue Dec 9 00:35:50 2008

I enjoyed Paul Lumpkin's sense of humor, even though everyone else seems to have taken seriously his delight about upcoming January fee increases at eBay.

Online Shopping on Par with Last Year's Holiday Season

by: Another Wronged Seller

Tue Dec 9 01:12:37 2008

So much for ebays claim that the economy is to blame for their lackluster stock performance. Lets see, Amazon is up, walmart is up, ebay is down. All three are performing in the same economy, right?

If you separate out the auction platform revenue from the paypal revenue, you see how the marketplace is really much worse off than it appears.

Walmart is thriving in this economy because people are stressed financially and are looking for bargains. Ebay is an off price enviroment for off price sellers. Ebay SHOULD flourish in this financial enviroment and instead they are tanking.

When will ebay get the message that their changes are NOT working?

Online Shopping on Par with Last Year's Holiday Season

by: Kitty

Tue Dec 9 08:39:47 2008

@javier

What customer experience?
Maybe the fact that my multiple emails to get my seller credit back are ignored.
Maybe my wonderful customer experience of being banned for a week and nobody understanding why,
because I never got the email till 4 days after the ban was lifted.
How about the wonderful experience I had with trust and safety removing my items due to VERO, when I had written approval from the VERO holder and she tried to even call them for me?
Guess what, Trust and Safety takes no phone calls. There is no customer service, no recourse, and no apology when they are wrong.
If I gave this expert customer service to MY customers, I'd be out of business in a few weeks.

Death to eBay.
Death to ChannelAdvisor.

Online Shopping on Par with Last Year's Holiday Season

by: o.c.d.collectibles

Tue Dec 9 10:38:13 2008

Paul Lumpkin, what planet do you come from? Or are you just another Donahoe boyfriend?

No one will buy your propaganda. Ebay is now ebaymartazon.

When GoAntiques develops it's new auction platform in the 3rd quarter of 2009, every single antiques and collectibles dealer from ebay will be gone. What you will have left, is a poor copy of Overstock and Amazon. REALLY POOR.

Let us know when the ebay funeral is, we might send some flowers.

Online Shopping on Par with Last Year's Holiday Season

by: Bitey McPoopster

Thu Dec 11 20:09:02 2008

@ Paul Lumpkin

Ha ha!!!!! Can you pass that pipe over here?

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