This year e-commerce sales during the Christmas shopping season were predicted to be higher than ever before. I was worried that this season might not be as big as predicted; sales at 2BigFeet.com were still slow in late November (when business is usually picking up). Sales steadily climbed though, and it is turning out to be a great Christmas season after all.
Several of my clients have also reported higher Christmas sales this year than ever before. After shopping at our local mall and retail stores looking for Christmas gifts, I can understand why retail sales are down and e-commerce sales are higher than predicted. Who wants to stand in line for an hour and park a mile away from the store when you can get the same prices online without any of the hassle. And with many online retailers guarantying Christmas delivery on most items, there really isn’t a good reason to go to the malls, unless you want to sit in Santa’s lap.
The holiday shopping season is far from over at 2BigFeet.com… our sales typically stay steady through Christmas and into the new year. We have new styles of shoes coming in at the first of the year including men’s slippers up to size 22 or 24. We hoped these would be available for Christmas, but they will still be here during the winter season.
Overall, this Christmas season has been much better than expected for us and for everyone I know that runs an e-commerce website. In contrast, several people I know in retail have been dissapointed at the turnout. I think this could be a pivotal moment for consumers… and predict the gap between retail and online sales will continue to shrink in the years to come.
