Retail Details: Out-of-Season Shopping

Although spring has sprung, some areas of the country still have to cope with cold weather.

Retail is one of those industries that has to take temperature variations in stride. Fortunately, e-commerce makes it easier for consumers to buy products that are technically “out of season,” which is why we’re including some interesting e-commerce stats in this installment of Retail Details.

Did you know that 47 percent of products sold on Amazon’s website aren’t actually sold by Amazon? They are sold by third-party sellers. The information is based on sales from the fourth quarter of 2015. That’s up from 43 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Did you know Americans were expected to spend $21.4 billion on gifts for mom this Mother’s Day?  That’s according to projections made by the National Retail Federation in its annual survey published April 27. Also, 27 percent of shoppers will be doing their shopping online, up 2 percent from 2015.

Did you know that online sales of pet care products have increased 76 percent since 2010? Pet products now account for 3.7 billion in online sales per year, approximately 6 percent of total sales in the pet product/care industry, according to retail analysts at Forrester.

Did you know that consumers want to buy more than just “stuff” online? It’s true: People also want to learn. One of the latest trends in e-learning is self-paced online courses. In a recent article on CIO.com, Christian Gainsbrugh, founder and lead developer at LearningCart, stated that the market for self-paced online courses may well top $50 billion in 2016.

Did you know that while e-commerce sales increased by 30 percent in 2015, the sale of consumer product goods rose by 48 percent? Analysts are crediting the increase to Amazon’s efforts to sell “everyday” products via online channels.