Tech E-Commerce Share Peaked at Lockdowns' Height: NPD

E-commerce sales grabbed 61% share of U.S. consumer tech hardware revenue in the 12 months ended March, compared with 48% in the 2020 period, reported NPD Tuesday. Online tech revenue share peaked at 68% in 2020's Q2 during the height of COVID-19 lockdowns, and “remained above the long-term trend" at 57% in Q1 2021, it said: “This was a full seven percentage points above Q1 2020, and 14 points above the pre-pandemic share in Q1 2019.” Though tech hardware sales moved online “at a more rapid pace than other general merchandise categories, the acceleration of this change, and the passing of the 50% milestone as a consequence of the pandemic, represents an important shift,” said Stephen Baker, NPD vice president-industry adviser.