By Marianne Wilson
Source: chainstoreage.com, July 2020


Online spending continues to rise across the globe.

Global online spending rose 28% in June compared to the year-ago period, making it the largest year-over-year  increase in sales since COVID-19 restrictions were put in place in March, according to an analysis by ACI Worldwide of hundreds of millions of e-commerce transactions from global merchants. In the U.S., online spending rose 25% in June, which was steady with May’s increase.

The report also showed a continued increase (117%) in athletic, footwear and sporting goods sales. Outdoor equipment was among the most popular purchase categories with an increase of 10% in June. In the U.S., consumer purchases were driven largely by apparel, as well as a continued demand for online games.

For the month of June, global online purchase volume increased 31% compared to the year-ago period. In the U.S., purchase volume was up 35%.

“E-commerce growth remains strong even as COVID-19 pandemic restrictions are being eased, suggesting a possible behavioral shift with consumers young and old around the world as they embrace the convenience of online shopping,” said Debbie Guerra, executive VP, ACI Worldwide. “In fact, more consumers representing older generations who have traditionally preferred purchasing at brick and mortar stores are finding online shopping to be the new norm.”

Other highlights from the report are below.

  • From January to June 2020, fraud attempts increased by 4.7% in value, while they decreased by 3.2% in volume.
  • Fraud average ticket price increased from $161 in 2019 to $174 in 2020 — double the average ticket price for genuine purchases in 2020 ($87).

*For the month of June 2020, fraud attempts were 3.7% by value (a 0.2% increase compared to the same month last year) reflecting a continued month-over-month downward trend after having reached a high of 5.8% in March 2020.