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Viewpoints
Commentaries are the opinions of the author and do not reflect the views of Haver Analytics.
by Winnie Tapasanun August 19, 2021
Online retail sales, more formally known as "E-Commerce sales," rose 3.3% q/q (9.1% y/y) in Q2'21 on a seasonally adjusted basis after a 7.8% gain in Q1'21 and a 0.9% drop in Q4'20, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Q2'21 increase in E-Commerce sales compares to a 5.2% q/q rise (28.2% y/y) in overall retail sales during the same period. This overall measure of retail sales excludes the food services and restaurants. E-Commerce sales account for 13.3% of total retail sales in Q2'21, compared to 13.6% in 2020, 10.7% in 2019 and 4.4% in 2010.
Details of the E-Commerce data by sector are not seasonally adjusted. Sales of nonstore retailers, which accounted for 56% of total E-Commerce sales in Q2'21, rebounded 8.6% q/q (17.0% y/y) in Q2 after a 11.9% decrease in Q1. Online sales of motor vehicles & parts jumped 18.9% (49.6% y/y), the fifth straight quarterly gain, after a 4.5% increase. Sales of furniture & home furnishings rose 3.1% (-2.4% y/y) following a 16.9% drop. Building materials & garden equipment sales recovered 31.6% (5.7% y/y), the largest q/q gain since Q2'20, after a 5.6% decline. Clothing accessory store sales rose 9.3% (4.7% y/y) vs. a 33.0% drop. General merchandise store sales rebounded 11.1% (-0.6% y/y) after weakening 35.6%. Sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument & book sales increased 1.8% (-16.1% y/y) following a 27.2% slide. Miscellaneous sales including gasoline stations rose 5.6% (27.0% y/y), the fourth q/q rise in five quarters, after a 2.5% decline. In contrast, food & beverage purchases fell 9.8% (-8.9% y/y), the third q/q fall in four quarters, after a 0.1% dip.
E-commerce sales are goods and services ordered over an Internet, mobile device (M-commerce), extranet, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) network, electronic mail, or other comparable online system. Payment may or may not be made online and sometimes sale & price are negotiated. Total sales estimates are adjusted for seasonal variation, but not for price changes. They are also adjusted for trading-day differences and moving holidays.
The retail sales and retail E-Commerce sales data can be found in Haver's USECON database.
Q2'21 | Q1'21 | Q4'20 | Q2'21 Y/Y | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total Retail Sales (%) | 5.2 | 8.0 | 0.6 | 28.2 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 4.2 | |
% of E-Commerce Sales (Q2'21) | ||||||||
Total E-Commerce Sales (SA) | 100.0 | 3.3 | 7.8 | -0.9 | 9.1 | 31.7 | 14.1 | 14.4 |
Total E-Commerce Sales (NSA) | -- | 7.6 | -16.6 | 23.2 | 9.3 | 31.8 | 14.3 | 14.2 |
Nonstore Retailers (NSA) | 56.0 | 8.6 | -11.9 | 18.1 | 17.0 | 23.1 | 13.6 | -- |
Motor Vehicles & Parts | 8.3 | 18.9 | 4.5 | 2.4 | 49.6 | 14.9 | 12.4 | -- |
Furniture & Home Furnishings | 2.1 | 3.1 | -16.9 | 20.6 | -2.4 | 50.0 | 11.9 | -- |
Building Materials & Garden Equipment | 3.8 | 31.6 | -5.6 | 1.5 | 5.7 | 64.4 | 16.9 | -- |
Clothing & Accessories | 6.8 | 9.3 | -33.0 | 47.1 | 4.7 | 26.4 | 9.6 | -- |
General Merchandise | 9.4 | 11.1 | -35.6 | 60.2 | -0.6 | 52.4 | 21.5 | -- |
Food & Beverages | 2.9 | -9.8 | -0.1 | 11.6 | -8.9 | 141.1 | 57.7 | -- |
Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instruments & Books | 1.4 | 1.8 | -27.2 | 27.2 | -16.1 | 62.8 | 6.3 | -- |
Miscellaneous (Including Gas Stations) | 1.7 | 5.6 | -2.5 | 14.6 | 27.0 | -10.8 | 3.4 | -- |