If Cyber Monday statistics are any indication of the future for the overall online sales market, it could be a bright future for the online community. According to “IBM 2013 Holiday Benchmark Reports,” Cyber Monday online sales hit a new record last year, growing 20.6 percent compared with 2012. Data was measured by IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark, which provides cloud-powered insights from approximately 800 retailer sites in the United States including online, social media and mobile devices. In its “Cyber Monday Shopping Trends of the Digital Consumer” infographic, the company highlighted department stores, home goods, apparel, health and beauty as the prime retail categories.
Although consumer packaged goods (CPGs) from the food and beverage industries don’t make the Top 5 for Cyber Monday sales, they still are seeing benefits from the online community. From 2008 to 2013, online grocery revenue increased 3 percent on average to reach $6.5 billion, according to IBISWorld’s December 2013 “Online Grocery Sales in the US” report. The Santa Monica, Calif.-based market research firm notes that despite weak sales during the recession, estimated revenue for the channel surged 6.8 percent in 2013 alone. Even with external competition from brick-and-mortar stores, IBISWorld predicts an annual growth rate of 9.2 percent from 2013 to 2018 to eclipse the $10 billion mark.