America Online Inc. said its members spent over $1 billion with online retailers available through AOL during the nearly six weeks of the 1998 holiday shopping season. In addition, 1.25 million AOL members shopped online for the first time ever this holiday season.
AOL members spent an estimated $1.2 billion shopping online through AOL in the period between November 26 and December 27, according to new research produced for AOL by the Internet Research Group, an independent firm based in Radnor, PA.
This year, Thursday, December 17 was the heaviest shopping day of the season as well as AOL’s best retail day ever–generating over $36 million in sales of consumer goods and travel-related services.
In comparison, the 1997 holiday shopping season marked the first time that purchases by AOL members resulted in the first-ever $1 million shopping day, with a series of $1 million days following in the weeks before Christmas.
Based on traffic averages to AOL Shopping Channel departments, the Toys, Kids and Babies category held the No. 1 spot overall during November and December, followed closely by apparel, last year’s most popular category.
The average AOL holiday shopper purchased two items online every week during the 1998 holiday shopping season, and spent 48% more on each purchase than in 1998 for an average of $54. AOL shoppers spent nearly 50% more per purchase in 1998 than 1997.
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