Online desktop sales rise 10% in holiday season: comScore

Research company comScore, Inc. which deals with the digital traffic study, noted the gem and jewellery industry to feature fourth in its monthly ranking of U.S. desktop web activity at the top online properties for November 2013. This category of Retail – Jewellery/Luxury Goods/Accessories saw 23 percent increase in the number of unique visitors in November over October 2013,

But as the season draws to a close, the research company noted that holiday sales growth in retail e-commerce in the U.S. was lower than anticipated. In the first 52 days of the November-December 2013 holiday season, total sales achieved were $42.8 billion from desktop devices, rising 10 percent on y-o-y basis. There was anticipation that the sales would be more, as this year packs in fewer days for the holiday season.

The company noted that ‘this holiday online season will be one in which the absolute dollar sales gains in consumer spending were held back by heavy retailer price discounting that occurred in an attempt to stimulate consumer demand, while at the same time, consumers weren’t willing or able to increase their spending rate to fully compensate for the six-day shorter shopping period between Thanksgiving and Christmas.’