Online sales have been steadily increasing and NetElixir predicts that ecommerce sales will contribute to a larger portion of the United States total retail sales than ever before. The Monthly Retail Trade Reports for 2020 and 2019 show a steady rise of ecommerce sales since the beginning of this year. June 2020 continued to show positive growth.
According to a McKinsey survey on consumer sentiment, customers are becoming more optimistic on the global economic conditions. It’s a cautious optimism, but consumers are regaining their faith little by little. With greater faith in the long-term future and in-store retail not in full operation across the country, consumers are still relying on ecommerce platforms to shop. How did retail ecommerce change or grow during the month of June?
June 2020 Ecommerce Updates
- Overall, the majority of the retail categories within our dataset continued to show positive year over year growth, when comparing June 2020 ecommerce metrics to June 2019. Employment and hiring rates rose in the month of June, compared to May 2020. This could account for, in part, the overall year over year growth in online sales.
- There appears to be no slowing down of new online shoppers.
- The Food and Grocery and Home Furnishing retail categories continue to have the highest and most consistent growth across all ecommerce metrics within our dataset
Food and Grocery
Despite restaurants and bars reopening across some states, many people are still ordering their groceries and deliveries online. For June 2020 compared to June 2019, the Food and Grocery retail category saw the following increases:
- Website conversions rose 89%.
- The number of transactions increased 142%.
- The AOV rose 11%.
- The percentage of orders made through mobile rose 30%.
- Orders by new shoppers jumped 119%.
Apparel
The Apparel retail industry has been seeing positive year over year growth since late April. While not as bombastic as other retail categories, there is still a steady traction in Apparel ecommerce sales. For the month of June, Apparel had:
- Website conversions decrease by 11%.
- The number of transactions increase by 5%.
- The AOV drop 1%.
- The percentage of orders made through mobile rise 12%.
- Orders by new shoppers increase by 6%.
Gifting
Gifting’s early reign at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic has lessened after a peak in mid-April. As social restrictions eased, we can assume that people no longer felt the need to send e-greetings; they could meet more in person. Overall, for the month of June 2020, the Gifting retail category saw the following year over year changes:
- Website conversions dropped 11%.
- The number of transactions increased 30%.
- The AOV decreased 10%.
- The percentage of orders made through mobile dropped 6%.
- Orders by new shoppers rose 44%.
Home Furnishing
Since the beginning of May, the Home Furnishing Retail Category has shown the second highest year over year growth, week to week (after, of course, Food and Grocery). Home Furnishing continues to increase across all ecommerce metrics:
- Website conversions increased 17%.
- The number of transactions jumped 90%.
- The AOV rose 4%.
- The percentage of orders made through mobile skyrocketed 120%.
- Orders by new shoppers jumped 105%.
Tools and Hardware
Hobbies and recreational activities continue to occupy the majority of our time, even as the weather gets warmer. The Tools and Hardware retail category also saw a rise in their online sales metrics over the month of June. Comparing the daily data of June 2020 to that of June 2019, the Tools and Hardware retail category saw:
- Website conversions rose 19%.
- The number of transactions increased 77%.
- The AOV increased 11%.
- The percentage of orders made through mobile rose 12%.
- Orders by new shoppers jumped 74%.
Pet Supplies
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, the Pet Supplies retail category has seen tremendous growth year over year. As we spend more time with our pets – and don’t want them feeling lonely as we begin to go out more – we see a continued increase in Pet Supplies online sales year over year. June 2020 saw:
- Website conversions increased 21%.
- The number of transactions jumped 52%.
- The AOV decreased 4%.
- The percentage of orders made through mobile rose 12%.
- Orders by new shoppers jumped 115%.
Upcoming Presentations
As we move further along the road to recovery and most states have transitioned through their reopening strategies, NetElixir is reducing our thrice-weekly retail analytics updates to once a week. Every week, we will update you with the latest data regarding ecommerce sales and online shopper behavior as the coronavirus pandemic continues. For the next Covid-19 Ecommerce Updates Webinar, join NetElixir with our partners at BWG Connect on Tuesday, July 28th at 12 PM for Navigating Through a Shifting Environment: Real Time Data on eCommerce Sales & Online Shopper Behavior presentation.
Our Reimagine Tomorrow series brings you experts from various fields to share their knowledge on new strategies, technology and innovations, and actionable insights for navigating the coronavirus and beyond. Professor George Day will speak at the third episode in our series, presenting on How Vigilant Organizations Gain An Edge on Thursday, July 9 at 2 PM ET. Register at https://www.netelixir.com//experience/.
Read More On Retail Ecommerce During the Coronavirus Pandemic
You can join the conversation on social media using #NxInsights. If you have any further questions, please feel free to email us at shareinsights@netelixir.com.
For further reading, you can see our prior retail analytics updates on retail ecommerce and online shopping behavior:
