Online sales will cross $200 billion in 2006, according to The 2006 State of Retailing Online report by Shop.org. According to the report, 2006 online sales will $211.4 billion, a 20% increase from 2005.


Online sales will cross $200 billion in 2006, according to The 2006 State of Retailing Online report by Shop.org. According to the report, 2006 online sales will $211.4 billion, a 20% increase from 2005.

According to the study, online sales excluding travel will reach $138 billion.

The categories with most sales include:

• Computer hardware: $16.8 billion
• Autos and auto parts: $15.9 billion
• Apparel, accessories and footwear: $13.8 billion

Pet supplies, cosmetics and fragrances are expected to have more than 30% growth rates.

In 2005, online sales increased 25% to $ 176.4 billion. Excluding travel, sales increased 28% to $113.6 billion. They represented 4.7% of total retail sales in 2005.

Additional findings include:

• 79% of retailers have consistent pricing across channels.
• 46% allow customers to buy and redeem gift cards online.
• 33% allow customers to accumulate loyalty program points.
• 26% offer in-store product information online.
• 22% of offline sales are influenced by the internet.
• 38% of online customers are new to the company’s consumer base.
• 63% of retailers required card verification value codes at checkout.
• 25% of retailers accepted private-label cards.
• 12% offered third-party email payment options.
• 9% accepted eChecks and
• 7% offered third-party credit accounts.

The study was conducted by Forrester Research for Shop.org.

Links:

For more information on the study, click here.

For more information on the company, visit Shop.org.

For more information on Forrester Research, visit Forrester Research.