Retail e-commerce spending (excluding mobile) grew by 16% year-over-year in Q2 to reach $49.8 billion, estimates comScore in its latest quarterly e-commerce figures. That 16% rise represented the 15th consecutive quarter of growth and the 11th consecutive quarter of double-digit increases. It was also the quickest rate of growth since Q1 2012 (17%). E-commerce spending accounted for 9.6% of consumers’ discretionary spending for the quarter. That was a slightly smaller share than Q1’s record of 10.6%, but was nonetheless the highest share on record for a second quarter.
Five online product categories grew by at least 19% year-over-year, according to comScore:
- Apparel and accessories;
- Digital content and subscriptions;
- Sport and fitness;
- Consumer packaged goods; and
- Home and garden.
Meanwhile, consumers spent another $4.7 billion via their smartphones and tablets, suggesting that mobile commerce accounted for roughly 8.6% of total retail e-commerce sales for the quarter.
The highest grossing mobile commerce category was apparel and accessories, with upwards of $700 million in sales for the quarter, though that was down from close to $1 billion in Q1. (That’s to be expected given that Q2 is a relatively soft quarter for e-commerce spending.)
The next-best mobile commerce performers wer computer hardware and digital content and subscriptions.