Hello, moty-ga!
Online product sales are tracked by category as opposed to singular
items. The top ten product category purchases ranked by sales volume
can change quite rapidly, varying from year to year and even from
quarter to quarter. Top online product categories also vary between
countries.
The top online product categories for the United States "by sales
volume" are referenced below. Online purchasing information for other
countries is included for additional reference but sales volume
statistics are not available.
If you are interested in purchasing in-depth e-commerce information
for other countries, companies like Global Information Inc. have
country-specific market reports. However, you will have to inquire
about sales volume data and product rankings.
=======================================================================
2002 - Third Quarter Sales as Compared to Last Quarter and One Year Ago
========================================================================
A survey by comScore Networks highlights the top products by category
and sales volume for the third quarter of 2003. The chart also shows
sales volume in relation to % Change vs. One Year-ago and % Change vs.
Prior Quarter.
* I have reproduced the 2003 Third Quarter rankings below. Please see
the complete chart for comparisons:
From "Shoppers Gearing Up for Season," by Robyn Greenspan. Markets
Retailing (11/2002)
http://cyberatlas.internet.com/markets/retailing/article/0,,6061_1494231,00.html#table1
Online Consumer Sales at U.S. Sites
(Excluding Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases)
"Top 10 Non-Travel Product Categories"
===================================================
* Dollar amounts are in Millions
Computer Hardware $2,661
Office Products $1,422
Apparel & Accessories $1,312
Consumer Electronics $ 884
Books $ 538
Event Tickets $ 448
Home & Garden $ 388
Health & Beauty $ 259
Sport & Fitness $ 252
Movies & Video $ 202
================================================
2000 & 2001 - E-commerce Sales Volume Statistics
================================================
The US Census Bureau has also compiled E-commerce sales volume
statistics by product category for the years 2001 and 2000.
* I have reproduced the 2001 figures below and reorganized the list
according to product category sales volume from highest to lowest.
This list is a bit different than the statistics compiled by comScore
since some of the categories are broader in scope. I have excluded two
of the categories which rank in the top ten, labeled "other
merchandise" and "nonmerchandise receipts", because they are extremely
broad in their inclusions. However, you may choose to include them in
your list even though they include a broad range of products under one
category.
You can access the full report at
http://www.census.gov/svsd/retlann/pdf/artse-comml.pdf
* Make sure to look at the e-commerce numbers only, since the chart
includes mail order totals.
*Dollar amounts in Millions
2001
Computer Hardware $5,678
Clothing and accessories $3,219
Office Equipment & Supplies $1,987
Books and Magazines $1,748
Furniture & Home furnishings $1,659
Electronics & Appliances $1,448
Music and Videos $1,318
Computer Software $1,208
Drugs, health & beauty aids $ 952
Toys, hobby goods and games $ 929
Sporting goods $ 466
* The product categories I omitted from the list, and their sales volumes, were:
Other Merchandise $3,062
(This category includes collectibles, souvenirs, auto parts and
accessories, hardware, lawn and garden equipment and supplies and
jewelry)
Nonmerchandise receipts $1,559
(This category includes receipts such as auction commissions, customer
training, customer support, advertising, and shipping and handling)
To read about the "Reliability of Estimates":
http://www.census.gov/eos/www/restats.html
* To access past E-Stats reports and to be on the lookout for future
editions, go to the Census Bureau page for "MEASURING THE ELECTRONIC
ECONOMY:
http://www.census.gov/eos/www/ebusiness614.htm
========
If you have any interest in the breakdown of Sales for "Online Content", see:
"Paid Content Paying Off," by Robyn Greenspan. Cyberatlas. (September 24, 2003)
http://cyberatlas.internet.com/markets/retailing/article/0,,6061_3082081,00.html
See chart:
"Online Content Spending by Category of Content, Q1 & Q2 Totals (in millions)"
* The top category in this list is "Personals/Dating", with sales of
$214.3 million in the first two quarters of 2003.
===============================================================
Online Purchase Preferences by Country - Excluding Sales Volume
===============================================================
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has a number
of e-commerce statistics on their website that can be downloaded in
spreadsheet format.
http://www.oecd.org/document/16/0,2340,en_2649_33703_2767696_1_1_1_1,00.html
While the following spreadsheet does not provide sales volume, it does
give you an insight into how product preferences differ according to
country.
Click on the link for:
"Data - Consumers' Internet purchases by product, 2000".
(You will need the capability to download spreadsheets)
Products Purchased in 2001 and 2002 - Across 37 countries
---------------------------------------------------------
A general overview of top products purchased globally can be found on
the Taylor Nelson Sofres Interactive website at
http://www.tnsofres.com/ger2002/productspurchased/index.cfm
* Click on the picture to enlarge it.
* This chart puts books and CD's at the top of the list - however,
there is a big difference between product volume and sales volume.
==
Also see "Online Shopping 2002 - Across 37 countries."
http://www.tnsofres.com/ger2002/onlineshopping/index.cfm#online2002
Top three product purchases by country
--------------------------------------
** To review the top three product purchases by country (excluding
sales volume), simply click on a country under the left-hand tab
titled "View specific country results".
http://www.tnsofres.com/ger2002/home.cfm
Abstract from "GLOBAL SURVEY FINDINGS (2002). Taylor Nelson Sofres Interactive
http://www.tnsofres.com/emailer/news_item.cfm?news_ID=103#
Books and CDs are still the most popular items bought online, but
there has been a small rise (two per cent) in purchases of higher
value items, namely electronic/electrical goods and holidays/travel.
However there are interesting country-to-country variations:
* South Korea and the USA buy the most clothes online (25 per cent of
all online shoppers)
* Online shoppers in Germany buy the most music/CDs (24 per cent )
* Online shoppers in Taiwan purchase the most books online (39 per cent)
* Holidays or leisure travel purchased online are most popular in
Ireland (28 per cent) and Norway (27 per cent)
==
Global Purchasing Preferences Across Ten Countries
--------------------------------------------------
See "Online Attitudes Move in Line Across the Globe." The 2000
American Express Global Internet Survey.
http://home3.americanexpress.com/corp/latestnews/gis2000/gis2000.pdf
The chart titled "E-Purchasing Showing Promise" highlights the
anticipated product purchases of ten countries, demonstrating the
differences in product preference by country.
Additional Information
======================
"Demographics Influence Online Spending," by Michael Pastore.
Cyberatlas (April 2000)
http://cyberatlas.internet.com/big_picture/demographics/article/0,1323,5901_344751,00.html
Global Information Inc.
http://www.gii.co.jp/index_en.shtml
(To purchase reports concerning other countries)
===
I hope the information I have provided allows you some further
insight into the top product purchases on the internet according to
Sales Volume. Undoubtedly, product rankings are quite different when
considering sales volume as opposed to popularity of products by
"numbers sold". In sheer numbers, books and CD's still hold the
highest rank!
umiat-ga
Google Search Strategy
top internet purchases
top internet sales
ecommerce +sales +2001
internet sales "by country"
global internet purchases
global retail online purchases
"annual retail trade survey"
online consumers by country
country specific market reports |
Clarification of Answer by
umiat-ga
on
22 Nov 2003 10:44 PST
moty,
What a mess with those numbers! They were in perfect alignment until
the answer was posted. I'm sorry about that!
umiat
|
Clarification of Answer by
umiat-ga
on
22 Nov 2003 11:20 PST
Let me try one more time! I have my fingers crossed....
Online Consumer Sales at U.S. Sites
(Excluding Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases)
"Top 10 Non-Travel Product Categories"
===================================================
* Dollar amounts are in Millions
Computer Hardware $2,661
Office Products $1,422
Apparel & Accessories $1,312
Consumer Electronics $ 884
Books $ 538
Event Tickets $ 448
Home & Garden $ 388
Health & Beauty $ 259
Sport & Fitness $ 252
Movies & Video $ 202
================================================
2000 & 2001 - E-commerce Sales Volume Statistics
================================================
The US Census Bureau has also compiled E-commerce sales volume
statistics by product category for the years 2001 and 2000.
* I have reproduced the 2001 figures below and reorganized the list
according to product category sales volume from highest to lowest.
This list is a bit different than the statistics compiled by comScore
since some of the categories are broader in scope. I have excluded two
of the categories which rank in the top ten, labeled "other
merchandise" and "nonmerchandise receipts", because they are extremely
broad in their inclusions. However, you may choose to include them in
your list even though they include a broad range of products under one
category.
You can access the full report at http://www.census.gov/svsd/retlann/
pdf/artse-comml.
* Make sure to look at the e-commerce numbers only, since the chart
includes mail order totals.
*Dollar amounts in Millions
2001
Computer Hardware $5,678
Clothing and accessories $3,219
Office Equipment & Supplies $1,987
Books and Magazines $1,748
Furniture & Home furnishings $1,659
Electronics & Appliances $1,448
Music and Videos $1,318
Computer Software $1,208
Drugs, health & beauty aids $ 952
Toys, hobby goods and games $ 929
Sporting goods $ 466
* The product categories I omitted from the list, and their sales
volumes, were:
Other Merchandise $3,062
(This category includes collectibles, souvenirs, auto parts and
accessories, hardware, lawn and garden equipment and supplies and
jewelry)
Nonmerchandise receipts $1,559
(This category includes receipts such as auction commissions, customer
training, customer support, advertising, and shipping and handling)
|
Clarification of Answer by
umiat-ga
on
22 Nov 2003 11:33 PST
One more clarification. The comCast Rankings are for the 3rd quarter
2002, not 2003. OOOps again!
|
Request for Answer Clarification by
moty-ga
on
26 Nov 2003 01:32 PST
Dear Sirs,
Thank you for your reply.
The answers I received from you was good but very general.
What I was realy ment is to get an answer regarding a specific items/products
that is being sold over the net and not in a general subject for exmaple :
" Accessories " - what kind Accessories ?
I would appreciate if you could answer more specific for each subject.
Thanks,
Moty
|
Clarification of Answer by
umiat-ga
on
26 Nov 2003 07:38 PST
moty-ga,
To be very honest with you, IF there is a breakdown under specific
categories, it will likely not include sales volumes. It will also be
highly unlikely that I will find an item breakdown under most
categories. This is the type of information that market reports (in
the tune of several thousands of dollars) are made of!!!!
I will see what I can find for an item breakdown under each category,
but keep in mind, the information, if available, will be extremely
general in nature. I want to stress again, this type of product
breakdown, when and if available, is NOT freely available to the
general public.
As long as you are content with any GENERAL information I can find, I
will continue to pursue this. However, this will take many more hours
on top of those I have invested already. And again, the information
will be very general, if I can find much at all.
Please let me know your thoughts.
umiat
|
Clarification of Answer by
umiat-ga
on
27 Nov 2003 23:05 PST
Hello again, moty!
I have tried to dig as deeply as I can into each category for a more
specific product breakdown. I have found a few references that provide
a bit more information regarding "types of products", although they
are still not item specific. I have separated the information
according to year so you can get a good idea about the change in
purchasing preferences.
Unfortunately, online retail sales data is simply not published for
individual products under most categories. Regarding your request for
sales data for items under categories like "Accessories", the data
that would provide line item sales for specific products like belts,
scarves, purses, etc. is simply not publicly available. In order to
dig that deeply, you would have to perform a financial sales analysis
of individual online stores and then compile the numbers for all the
stores selling similar items together to form a broad overview. It
would be an enormous task and I am not sure that even the largest
marketing companies have done such an in-depth report.
General Overview
=================
"The things that sell best online are products that have the least
surprise and the least variability," Smith said.
** "Books and music, by a landslide, are the top-selling items on the Web."
Smith added that items like gourmet foods, wine and jewelry, for which
tastes can vary broadly, are a much harder sell online, as are
perishable or fragile products that cannot be shipped as easily as
books."
Also among the Web's top sellers are companies that successfully
separate the process of buying a product from the experience of using
it.
** Experts said the best example of this approach is airline ticket sales."
From "What Sells Best on the Internet," by Lou Hirsh. E-Commerce Times
(March 4, 2002)
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/16587.html
Interest in new Products for 2003
===================================
"Consumers are spending more and on more types of items this year.
Forrester released a study anticipating about $12.3 billion in holiday
sales, a 42 percent increase from last year.
* Apparel,
* Home decor
* Sporting goods
were mentioned as categories newly popular for the online seasonal spree."
"CNET: New products attract e-tail dollars," by Tig Tillinghast. (Nov. 26 2003)
http://www.marketingwonk.com/archives/categories/ecommerce/
=========================================
2003 Third-Quarter Internet Product Sales
=========================================
(This is the most recent "actual" sales information available)
The top categories in terms of sales volume:
* Computer hardware $3.09 billion
* Electronics $1.97 billion
* Apparel $1.28 billion
* Entertainment $1.24 billion
The strongest growth in Q3 came from:
* Food & Wine up 208%
* Gifts & Flowers up 198%
* Office Supplies up 182%
* Entertainment up 181%
From "Online Spending Keeps Growing." Source: BizRate.com (October 01, 2003)
http://retailindustry.about.com/library/holiday/03/blh_bz100103.htm
=========================================
2003 First Quarter Internet Product Sales
==========================================
"The top categories in terms of sales volume:
* Computer hardware $3.43 billion
* Electronics $2.16 billion
* Entertainment $1.88 billion
The strongest growth in Q1 came from:
* Health & beauty 61%
* Entertainment 58%
* Computer hardware 41%
From "Consumers Continue to Buy Online in Q1 2003, Despite War with Iraq." BizRate
(April 2003) http://bizrate.com/content/press/release__rel--144.html
======================================
2003 Holiday Season Sales Predictions
======================================
Electronics
===========
"According to the CEA survey, the average consumer will purchase
approximately seven electronics products this holiday season, up from
six products in 2002, boosting total electronics gift sales by four
percent compared to the 2002 holiday shopping season. So what consumer
electronics specifically will sell well?
* DVD players are topping the list of electronics gift items likely to
be purchased this season for the third consecutive year, with 31
percent of consumers likely to make the purchase.
The CEA hot list, also includes:
* Digital cameras 24 percent
* Video gaming systems 20 percent
* Wireless phones 19 percent
* Portable MP3 players 16 percent
* Desktop, laptop 13 percent
or notebook PCs
* HDTV 12 percent
Other items
===========
"On average, NPD"s survey respondents plan to spend $637 this holiday
season. Although, there is a familiar tone to consumer purchase intent
for most categories. NPD's consumer intent results breaks down as
follows:
66 percent say they will buy clothing,
53 percent plan to buy toys
39 percent will purchase music this year,
43 percent plan to purchase books,
26 percent will buy fragrances,
21 percent plan to purchase housewares.
From "E-Commerce's Hottest Items for the Holidays," by Laura Rush.
ECommerce News. (10/2003)
http://ecommerce.internet.com/news/news/article/0,,10375_3097311,00.html
==============================================================
Amazon.com's Current Top 100 sellers (updated hourly or daily)
===============================================================
While this will only provide you with data from one site, it is one of
the top shopping sites on the internet. The top individual products
selling under general categories are updated hourly.
Top 100 Electronics Items (by rank) dated 11/26/2003)
=====================================================
Apex AD-2600 Progressive-Scan DVD Player
Apex AD-2600 Progressive-Scan DVD Player
Viking 256 MB CompactFlash Card
Canon PowerShot S230 3.2 MP Digital ELPH Camera with 2x Optical Zoom
Palm Tungsten E Handheld
Netgear MR814 802.11b Wireless 4-Port Cable/DSL Router
Netgear WGR614 Wireless 802.11g 54Mbps Router
Norcent DP300 DVD Player (Silver)
Canon PowerShot S400 4MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom
Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router
Read more items at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/496918/ref=pd_rhf_c_2/102-0999431-2888129
Most popular camcorders (updated hourly)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/872528/ref=pd_ts_bn_nav/102-0999431-2888129
Most popular computer add-ons (updated daily
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/872534/ref=pd_ts_bn_nav/102-0999431-2888129
Most popular software (updated hourly)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/872524/ref=pd_ts_bn_nav/102-0999431-2888129
Most popular desktop computers (updated daily)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/872532/ref=pd_ts_bn_nav/102-0999431-2888129
Most popular digital cameras (updated daily)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/872520/ref=pd_ts_bn_nav/102-0999431-2888129
Most popular DVD players (updated daily)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/496924/ref=pd_ts_bn_nav/102-0999431-2888129
Most popular film cameras (updated daily)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/872526/ref=pd_ts_bn_nav/102-0999431-2888129
Most popular handhelds (updated daily)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/496928/ref=pd_ts_bn_nav/102-0999431-2888129
Most popular laptops and notebooks (updated daily)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/872530/ref=pd_ts_bn_nav/102-0999431-2888129
Most popular phones (updated daily)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/496930/ref=pd_ts_bn_nav/102-0999431-2888129
Most popular printers (updated daily)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/872522/ref=pd_ts_bn_nav/102-0999431-2888129
Most popular TV's (updated daily)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/496932/ref=pd_ts_bn_nav/102-0999431-2888129
=================================================
2003 - Clothing Becomes Important Online Purchase
=================================================
"A study by research firm Forrester Research predicts clothing sales
via the Internet will grow 54% to $8.6bn in 2003."
From "Fashion tip/ Get online." HostingTech.com (11/03/03)
http://www.hostingtech.com/news/2003/11/3/St_Nitf_Fashion_tip_Get_online_________e1031175.3iw.html
====
"Online clothing sales experienced a 6 percent increase during the
2002 holiday shopping season to 35 percent, according to data from
Retail Forward, registering a 13-point jump from the 2000 holiday
season.
* This two-year surge is second only to the online purchases of DVDs
(8 percent in 2000 rising to 23 percent in 2002), and indicative of a
rapid growth phase."
"This is significant because apparel is one of those items that many
thought would have difficulty making traction online given customers'
desire to try on goods before purchasing," comments Mary Brett
Whitfield, senior vice president and director of the Retail Forward
E-Retail Intelligence Program, a survey of over 500 Internet users
from December 27, 2002 to January 2, 2003"
(See remainder of article for shopping sites with the most visitors)
"Apparel Sales Apparent Online," by Robyn Greenspan.
eCommerceGuide.com (March 28, 2003)
http://ecommerce.internet.com/news/news/article/0,3371,10375_2171361,00.html
============================================
2003 Top Ten Valentines Gifts Bought Online
============================================
Cards 75%
Candy 33%
Flowers 22%
Gift Certificate/Card 15%
Stuffed Animals/Balloons 14%
Dinner/Entertainment Events 13%
Perfume/Cologne 9%
Jewelry 8%
Lingerie/Clothes 7%
Books 6%
(Source: Brand Keys, Inc.)
From "Surfing for Love," by Robyn Greenspan. Cyberatlas (2/14/2003)
http://cyberatlas.internet.com/markets/retailing/article/0,,6061_1584131,00.html#table4
===================
2002 Holiday Season
===================
"Top selling categories online were:
* Books, music and video/DVDs $1.86 billion
* Apparel $1.83 billion
* Consumer electronics $1.2 billion
* Toys $1.1 billion
From "Behind e-commerce?s stellar season," by Jane Weaver. MSNBC (Dec 20, 2002)
http://www.msnbc.com/news/850167.asp
====
"InsightExpress conducted a survey during early November 2002 to
determine what Internet shoppers are likely to buy during the upcoming
holiday season":
Likelihood of Purchasing Certain Holiday Gift Items
----------------------------------------------------
Adult clothing 53%
Toys 49%
Books 46%
Music-related items 43%
Consumer electronics 40%
Clothing for children 36%
Home decor items 32%
Food gifts 31%
Appliances 7%
Automobile & related 5%
Source: InsightExpress
From "Capturing Holiday Digital Dollars," by Robyn Greenspan.
Cyberatlas (11/18/2002)
http://cyberatlas.internet.com/markets/retailing/article/0,,6061_1502611,00.html#table
===================
Holiday Season 2001
===================
Books/Music/Videos were the most popular online purchases, with 23% of
Americans buying them online.
Other popular items purchased on the Web:
Gifts 19%
Electronics/Computers 18%
Apparel 17%
Travel Services/Airline Tickets 17%
Tickets/Sports & Entertainment 14%
Toys & Games 14%
Sporting Goods 9%
Flowers 9%
Home Furnishings 8%
From "FUN FACTS FOR HOLIDAY SHOPPING FROM THE DIRECT MARKETING ASSOCIATION."
http://www.shopthenet.org/pressroom_75.shtml
==================================================
2000 - Online Holiday Products Purchased by Gender
==================================================
What They're Buying:
Women Men
Toys 39% Clothes 32%
Books 28% Electronics 31%
Clothes 33% CDs, DVDs 23%
CDs, DVDs 18% Toys 19%
Electronics 17% Books 14%
Housewares 13% Housewares 5%
Jewelry 1% Jewelry 5%
"Poll: Americans Will Spend Twice as Much Online This Holiday Season,"
by Dalia Sussman and Gary Langer. Money Scope.
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/business/DailyNews/onlineshoppingpoll_021211.html
===
DMNews: Study: Home Broadband Users Produce More Online Sales," by
Steve Hall. (8/2003)
http://www.marketingwonk.com/archives/categories/ecommerce/
At-home broadband users are
* 39 percent more likely to buy jewelry online
* 64 percent more likely to buy toys and games
* 64 percent more likely to buy cars, trucks and SUVs.
========================================
1999 - The Beauty Product Sector Online
========================================
"While a relatively small percentage of Internet users reported
previously purchasing beauty products online, nearly two-thirds of
those polled said they would consider doing so in the future.
According to the report,
* fragrance
* makeup, and
* skin care products
accounted for 2 percent of all health and beauty products online."
"Consumers Showing Interest in Online Health and Beauty Sector," by
Michael Pastore. eCommerce Guide. (March 24, 2000)
http://ecommerce.internet.com/news/insights/trends/article/0,,10417_327021,00.html
===========
As I mentioned earlier, there are expensive market reports that "may"
provide more detailed information regarding "individual" products. For
example, the following report may be of interest:
"Consumer Spending on the Web: 2001-2006 by Category. IDC (July 19, 2002)"
http://www.marketresearch.com/map/prod/823834.html
** Purchase Price - $2,500 **
(Categories "may" be further broken down within the report, but you
would have to contact the company to find out)
==
You can also purchase access to the eStats reports for $500/month or
$5,000/year. One example of the types of reports available is the
following:
"eMarketer Chart: US Consumer Spending Online, 2001 & 2002 (in
billions and as a % increase vs. prior year)
http://www.emarketer.com/products/chart_htm/040001-041000/040715.htm
========
I truly hope this additional information is helpful!
Sincerely,
umiat
|
