RBC Capital Markets reported a 14% increase in retail spending in July compared to last year, mainly driven by increasing sales in the jewelry/watches and apparel categories, according to Media Daily News. The report was based on data from comScore.
The increase was greater than the 10% growth in the second quarter overall, and the 8% increase the prior month, RBC reported.
Jewelry led the way with online sales up 18%, followed by clothing accessories at 17% and packaged goods at 16%. Books and magazines saw 7% growth in July.
Lauren Freedman, president of the e-tailing group, said especially with jewelry and clothing retailers are investing heavily in the visual experience s and in the quality of information they provide for customers.
“Seasoned online shoppers and newbies can now have more confidence than ever before to make their purchases online as the quality continues to rise,” said Freedman.
RBC projects U.S. online retail sales will grow 16% to $305 billion this year. Amazon and eBay both picked up traffic in July over June, RBC reported, with Amazon logging 95.4 million visitors in July compared to 92.5 million in June, while eBay saw a slight gain to 59.3 million from 58.5 million.