Election Day Retail Spend on Par With Holiday Season Trends So Far, Says Adobe

Election Day doesn’t appear to have affected online holiday retail growth projections, with sales on track for a record season that began Nov. 1, said Adobe Analytics Wednesday. Total online sales Election Day were $1.48 billion, up 13.2 percent vs. 2017, in line with growth through the first few days in November, said Adobe. Retail sales growth Tuesday was 13.2 percent, in line with trends, despite long waits at polling stations. Sales via smartphones were higher as consumers logged in remotely while researching their vote or using it as a “search-and-shop device,” it said. Just over 25 percent of all sales Tuesday came from smartphones, a 28 percent increase from last year. Sales this holiday season are off to a “strong start,” said Adobe, with all six November days topping $1 billion in online spending, though growth is slightly below forecasts at 12.7 percent, it said. Mobile device shoppers drove 52 percent of e-commerce visits on Election Day, accounting for 33 percent of revenue, it said, led by smartphones with 44 percent of online visits and 25 percent of revenue. Average order value was up 4 percent year on year on Election Day to $139, with paid search shown as the top promotion driver at 22 percent, followed by Election Day (18 percent), shopper help sites (5.4 percent) and social media-driven networks (1.7 percent). Adobe predicts U.S. online sales will rise 14.8 percent to $124.1 billion this holiday season vs. last year, and offline retail spending will grow 2.7 percent.