E-commerce is the future — and the holiday season is proving that point yet again — but not in the way one might expect. In the past couple of years, shopping online has become a go-to for pandemic-weary consumers looking for a way to get their shopping done while in quarantine.
Unsurprisingly, this led to a massive spike in e-commerce, one that the team at TruLife thinks is here to stay.
Now, the latest numbers from the 2022 holiday season show that e-commerce isn’t just growing as a necessary alternative to traditional brick-and-mortar shopping. It’s also providing a welcome reprieve from overpriced goods in an inflationary environment.
The 2022 Holiday Season Fuels Heavy Discounts
Just after New Year’s, Adobe Analytics reported (via Reuters) that online holiday spending in the U.S. rose by 3.5% in 2022. Specifically, American shoppers spent a substantial $211.7 billion online, in November/December, with $35.3 billion being spent online in Cyber Week alone. Adobe also shared data that Amazon accounted for 38% of the total online holiday transactions.
The big takeaway, though, is that the primary driver behind this festive retail success comes from e-commerce sites posting unusually steep discounts. This played a large part in convincing consumers to spend in record amounts despite the ongoing inflationary pinch and the need to save money for staples like food, gas, and housing.
The Need to Take E-Commerce Seriously
For a long time, manufacturers and business owners have viewed e-commerce as a cute side project to invest in alongside bigger ventures, like selling to wholesalers and through B&M storefronts. However, selling online has more than proven that it has staying power.
Even as many companies attempt to return to an in-person normal, e-commerce continues to gobble up a growing share of retail sales. The U.S. Department of Commerce has estimated that between 2013 and 2022, e-commerce sales have steadily grown (with one minor correction after 2020) from less than 6% to nearly 15% of total quarterly retail sales.
This is why the need for an e-commerce retail strategy is an integral part of the TruLife mantra. We believe that an online presence is an essential part of long-term retail success. Our comprehensive range of third-party services includes many offerings to that effect, such as digital marketing, social media management, website creation, and selling through our top 1,000 Amazon seller account.
When you embrace the power of the e-commerce marketplace, it gives you an added layer of retail stability that didn’t exist a decade ago. It also opens the door to near-infinite future possibilities.