A younger demographic is turning to e-commerce to shop for back-to-school items, including apparel and accessories.
Retail research company eMarketer reports back-to-school e-commerce sales during July and August will reach $37.56 billion, exceeding the quarterly growth rate for e-commerce at 15.8%.
“E-commerce growth this year comes on top of a strong year in 2016, making it that much more impressive,” said eMarketer Senior Analyst Yory Wurmser. “Younger consumers that shop in preparation for going back to high school and college actually prefer shopping online, so e-commerce growth should continue for the foreseeable future.”
Retail sales during the back-to-school shopping season of July and August 2017 will grow 4 percent over 2016. Sales are estimated $857.18 billion, accounting for 17 percent of total retail sales for the year.
“Several core product areas are among the sectors with the highest e-commerce penetration,” Wurmser said. “Even apparel, which traditionally has been bought in stores, is increasingly moving online.”