Cyber Five Critical to Fighting Back from Slow Start to Holiday Season
Comscore has reported very healthy online spending numbers this holiday season, but it didn’t start out that way. Early in the season we saw slowing desktop e-commerce year-over-year growth, marked by a sharp dip in the 7-day trailing average trend. This waning growth coincided with the days immediately following the U.S. Presidential Election, signaling that consumers might have been experiencing a post-election “hangover,” in which the uncertainty about the future caused a temporary pause in spending for some consumers.
This effect was short-lived, as spending growth during the “Cyber Five” – the five key shopping days from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday – far outpaced the season average and brought the season-to-date growth rate back into the expected 12-13% range. The 7-day trailing average peaked on Cyber Monday, but the period of high growth continued through Cyber Week. Even though it has since reverted somewhat, the 7-day trailing average has been able to maintain a consistent growth rate in the low double-digits since Cyber Week ended.
Source: Comscore e-Commerce Measurement, U.S.
For more online retail insights from the 2016 holiday season, visit our Comscore blog or check out our most recent press releases.