Estimated eCommerce Holiday Spending for 2013

With the 2013 holiday season behind us, it is time to take a look at eCommerce data to see where opportunities lie and what trends can be expected in 2014. According to estimates from Custora, 2013 was not too different from 2012. The major change is that more consumers are using their mobile devices to shop online.

It is estimated that total eCommerce revenue in the U.S. generated during the holiday season, which is Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, is up 12 percent compared to 2012. When looking at the two largest shopping days of the year, Black Friday accounted for 16.2 percent of total eCommerce holiday spending and Cyber Monday accounted for 18.2 percent.

The average amount spent per order is estimated to have no change from 2013 to 2012, however eCommerce orders placed during the holiday season are estimated to have increased 12 percent in comparison to 2013. eCommerce conversion rates are also estimated to have increased from 2.4 percent in 2012 to 2.5 percent in 2013.

As mentioned, the largest estimated change relates to how consumers use their mobile devices to shop online. The estimated change of eCommerce orders placed using mobile devices increased from 20 percent in 2012 to 29 percent in 2013. Of those orders, 83 percent were done from an iOS device and 16 percent came from an Android device. Is your website mobile-friendly? To learn more about responsive design, which makes your website display in a user-friendly way no matter the screen size, click here.

Unique traffic to eCommerce websites is also estimated to have increased by 15 percent.
Custora also put together a report, “eCommerce Snapshot Holiday Edition,” that dug into 2012 data in regards to eCommerce spending during that holiday season. Some of the most important takeaways include the customer lifetime value of those acquired during the holiday season and also the importance of two four-day blocks of time in December that account for the same percentage of holiday spending as Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined.

The first major point gathered from the data shows that customers acquired during the holiday season have a lifetime value that is 15 percent lower than customers acquired during the rest of the year (January – October). That means these customers are less likely to become repeat shoppers.

Data also shows that while Black Friday and Cyber Monday draw huge sales, there are two other periods of time in December that are just as lucrative. In 2012, Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales combined accounted for 8.58 percent of total holiday spending. Also in 2012, from Saturday, Dec. 1 to Tuesday, Dec. 4, total sales accounted for 9 percent of all holiday spending. Then again from Monday, Dec. 10 through Thurs., December 13, consumer spending accounted for 8.49 percent of total holiday spending. So while Black Friday and Cyber Monday are important days to prepare for, don’t forget to incorporate a strong marketing strategy for these two four-day periods as well.