October Online Gains Strong as Holiday Shopping Accelerates
WWD | November 9, 2021
U.S. consumers shop earlier than ever for holiday gifts and spend more on toys, groceries, video games and gift cards, according to Adobe Analytics, which reported $72.4 billion was spent online in October, an 8 percent increase from October 2020.
Toys were up 50% in October versus September 2021; groceries rose 34%, and sales of video games rose 20% from the Adobe report. From January 2021 to October 2021, $680 billion has been spent online, a 9% increase from 2020 and a 57%gain over 2019.
Out-of-stock messages rose 250% in October 2021 compared to pre-pandemic January 2020. Of the 18 categories tracked by Adobe, electronics has the highest out-of-stock levels, followed by jewelry, apparel, home and garden, and pet products. Adobe expects U.S. holiday 2021 sales online to hit a record $207 billion, a 10 percent increase from 2020.