Number Of US Online Buyers Peaks In September

Just under 39 million people in the US bought something online last month, a new record according to the research companies’ Interactive eCommercePulse measurement system. However, spend was actually down 14.7% month on month, even though the number of buyers grew from 37.1 million to 38.6 million. This is not surprising, given that the after-effects of the 11 September attacks have noticeably hit US retail spending (see Forecasts).

eCommercePulse Total Monthly Online Spending And Number Of Buyers
Month	Spend ($m)	Total number of buyers (m)
Sep-00	3,086	30.9
Oct-00	3,703	30.9
Nov-00	4,788	31.9
Dec-00	7,223	36.1
Jan-01	3,780	37.8
Feb-01	3,390	33.9
Mar-01	3,517	35.3
Apr-01	4,489	35.9
May-01	5,383	35.9
Jun-01	5,299	35.3
Jul-01	4,932	35.2
Aug-01	5,562	37.1
Sep-01	4,743	38.6
Source: Nielsen//NetRatings / Harris Interactive, 09/01

“An unprecedented number of people embraced e-commerce last month, exceeding even the huge number of buyers during the December holiday,” said Sean Kaldor, vice president of analytical services, NetRatings. “Despite recent national events, the number of online buyers actually grew four percent from August.”

The travel category maintained its position at the top of the e-commerce chart, but recent events naturally affected the public’s appetite for travel and also introduced a number of travel restrictions. These conditions caused revenues to drop 23% between August and September, even though the sector rose by 44% year on year.

“Travel accounts for nearly a quarter of all online spending so a downturn in this critical category dampens the entire e-commerce sector,” says Kaldor.

Top eCommercePulse Category, Ranked By Online Spend, September 2001
	Sep 2000 Spend ($m)	Sept 2001 Spend ($m)	% Change
Travel services	795	1,148	44.4
Clothing/Apparel	276	494	79.0
Auctions	173	407	135.3
Computer hardware	226	380	68.1
Books	121	300	147.9
Source: Nielsen//NetRatings / Harris Interactive, 09/01