Holiday shoppers brought good cheer to e-commerce retailers, spending $27 billion online from November 1 through December 24, a 5 percent jump over last year, ComScore reported Wednesday.
The period from Black Friday through Christmas Eve was also bright and merry as sales grew by around 3.5 percent, even after adjusting for an additional shopping day this year. Consumer electronics proved to be the hottest selling category, rising 20 percent. Larger retailers outpaced smaller vendors thanks in part to their use of free shipping and marketing via social-networking sites, said ComScore.
(Credit:
ComScore)
The growth in this year's online holiday sales showed improvement over 2008, when sales dropped by 3 percent. Results were likely helped by a snowstorm that blanketed the East Coast the weekend of December 19-20, forcing many shoppers to pick up those last-minute gifts online.
"Online sales growth this year was driven by a continued increase in the number of people buying online, but consumers' economic challenges resulted in a slight decline versus last year in the amount spent per buyer," said ComScore chairman Gian Fulgoni in a statement. "The season featured a strong start as a result of early retailer promotions and a very strong finish helped by the snowstorms that occurred the weekend of December 19-20, retailers' willingness to offer free shipping later in the season, and consumers' confidence in expedited shipping arriving in time."
A simple phrase and pin code may be all you need the next time you pay for that book or CD at Amazon.
The online retailer on Thursday debuted a new feature called Amazon PayPhrase, designed to let busy shoppers store their name, address, and payment information in a single phrase and pin code. Instead of entering all that data at the online checkout counter, you type your phrase and pin number when it's time to cough up the cash.
PayPhrase doesn't just work at Amazon--it can be used at any online retailer that lets you pay via Amazon Payments. That covers a range of cyberstores, including Buy.com, J&R Electronics, DKNY, and Car Toys.
PayPhrase also omits the need for a user name and password to store your personal info on every shopping site that uses Amazon Payments. However, you will need an Amazon.com account to set up and maintain your phrase.
Amazon sees PayPhrase as a benefit to consumers trying to juggle different accounts at different retail sites.
"PayPhrase solves the headache of trying to keep track of all the different user names and passwords people use to shop on various sites across the Web," said Matt Williams, general manager of Amazon PayPhrase, in a statement. "With PayPhrase all you need is one phrase and one PIN to pay online."
Here's how the process works:
- You first set up your PayPhrase. The phrase can be two or more words, and the entire phrase must be at least four characters but no more than 100. Amazon provides a list of suggested phrases, or you can create your own. (With Amazon's suggested phrases of "Unusually Obese," "Contraceptive Cream," and "Bush's Education Department," you might want to create your own.) Since everyone's PayPhrase must be unique, Amazon will tell you whether or not your phrase is taken.
- You set up your four-digit pin number.
- You enter your Amazon.com user name and password.
- You either confirm or enter your mailing address and credit card information.
- After your PayPhrase is set up, you'll receive an e-mail from Amazon confirming the details.
- The next time you check out to buy an item on Amazon or an Amazon Payment retailer, a field for PayPhrase Express Checkout will appear. You enter your phrase. You then review your order details and total cost and finally enter your pin number to submit the purchase.
Of course, a feature like this always shouts out one question: Is it secure? Amazon naturally believes so.
Though Amazon stores your credit card information, the company points out that your payment information is not shared with other online retailers. And to modify your PayPhrase settings, you have to log in to the PayPhrase site with your Amazon.com username and password.
You can establish monthly cash limits on your account ranging from $10 to $500. Finally, you can opt to receive an approval request by e-mail or cell phone for all orders that are placed.
Check out Amazon's promo video page for a brief tour of PayPhrase.
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