New Year’s Saw Strong eCommerce Traffic, Verizon Report Says

A little online retail therapy is an increasingly popular way to ring in the new year, a new study from ETA member Verizon says.

eCommerce web traffic increased 15 percent on New Year’s Eve 2017 over 2016, and New Year’s Day 2018 saw an even bigger increase — 33 percent — over 2017.

“Retailers have been successfully wrapping up the season as consumers rang in 2018 by taking advantage of end of year promotions and other appealing offers,” said Michele Dupre, Group Vice President, Retail, Hospitality and Distribution at Verizon Enterprise Solutions. “The big chill in much of the country likely helped to heat up the digital marketplace too.”

The Holiday Retail Index by Verizon has been tracking ecommerce traffic throughout the holiday season. In addition to the New Year’s spike, the report found a 111 percent increase in Black Friday 2017 ecommerce traffic versus Black Friday 2016, as well as a 16 percent increase in traffic the Friday before Christmas.

The Index monitors daily traffic to the top 25 U.S.-based online retailers, the report said.