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This week we’re going through a quick recap of what went down over last week. You were (hopefully) relaxing – content to know all those holiday orders were on their merry way to customers. From up-and-coming days for holiday sales, to Amazon’s motivations and consumers’ confidence, here are some updates on what went on in the world of ecommerce while you were unwinding.
Another Excuse for Holiday Sales
After Thanksgiving, it feels like at least one day of the week is designated as a “holiday sale” day, whether it’s Green Monday, Free Shipping Day, or the fabled “Boxing Day.” Wall Street Journal reports that the day following Christmas is yet another rising day of spending for many consumers, historically known as “Boxing Day.” This year might have been unique due to the day being a Saturday, but American Express’ survey found that many shoppers intended to journey out on December 26th for a variety of reasons listed below. It’s sure to be interesting to watch whether it becomes a holiday weapon in online retailers’ arsenals in the years to come.
A Free-for-All
Speaking of excuses for sales – Free Shipping Day was a week before Christmas Day (12/18), and the word that always sells did it again. Adobe Digital Index reports that Free Shipping Day spending was up by 21.5% year-over-year for a total of $1.48 billion. An increasing number of retailers are joining in on the fun, too, at more than a thousand this year compared to last year’s 250-ish. That said, comScore reported that online sales were up 8% on Friday, but down 9% from last year’s Free Shipping Day that fell on a Thursday. Regardless of study, the day – like all online selling days – is showing positive growth.
Preparing for a Dogfight
This year, we saw Amazon taking major steps to change up the fulfillment game – from drones, to Uberization, and heavy pushes toward fast delivery. Although we’ve talked about their flight to the skies before, apparently it’s bigger than drones. There are reports that Amazon is negotiating leases for 20 Boeing 767 jets, suggesting that the marketplace is beginning to take air-borne fulfillment into its own hands to cut into UPS and FedEx. Given all the rate changes and innovations, next year is certainly looking to be a big one for ecommerce shipping, as UPS, FedEx, USPS, and Amazon begin to compete with one another in the air, the sea, and skies.
Continued Confidence
Good news for everyone – consumers are confident with the markets and with themselves for the third straight month. A growing labor market combined with consistently cheaper gas prices led to increased consumer confidence in December, at 92.6. To add, Americans’ own satisfaction with their personal finances spiked to 108.1 – the highest since June – translating to a successful holiday selling season. But although the labor market has grown, there are still concerns, as many consumers have yet to experience significant increases in income.
Image: Steven Depolo, Flickr
