Forrester Research says online holiday sales are likely to grow by 20 per cent this year compared to last year. But that's a slowing pace of growth, Forrester said. Online sales for Christmas 2003 were 31 per cent better than Christmas 2002.
Spending at online sites during the holiday season (which starts officially down south after the U.S. Thanksgiving) should total just over $13-billion (US).
Forrester says several factors are contributing to slowing growth including:
- A more mainstream web means that online sales now generally mirror offline sales.
- To keep profitability levels up, retailers will offer fewer free shipping offers and percentage off deals online.
- In fear of a soft holiday season, retailers will use the web to push consumers into stores.