Online Sales: The Bright Spot of the 2002 Holiday Season

By Gabrielle Mosquera , Editor In Chief and Catalog Success

The eSpending report also revealed buying patterns that reflect catalogers’ observations:

• Sales levels peaked at the extreme points of the season — beginning and end.

• E-tailers benefited from e-mail promotions early on in the season. Several catalogers interviewed had sent e-mail promotions offering free shipping during the week after Thanksgiving, and all reported favorable results. John Rogers, director of e-commerce at Orvis, says, “I think consumers are starting to look for [free shipping] at that time of the year. There’s some conditioning going on.”