Internet Sales Slow
When the best news on television is that a plane crashed into the Hudson River, nearly killing over 150 people, 
you know times are tough.
The internet is no exception. According to MasterCard, internet retail sales declined by 5.5% in November and 8.0% in December. For the year, e-commerce sales are down 3%.
And, the doom and gloom appears headed for 2009. According to Piper Jaffrey, retail sales on the internet are expected to drop by 10% this year.
But, not all categories are getting clobbered with the bad economy. Internet dating sites, for example, are reporting increases recently as more middle-aged singles enter the dating pool after separations caused by stress from the bad economy. Moreover, unique visits to e-commerce sites are up 5% in 2008 versus 2007. Unfortunately, those visitors are spending less.
So, while the recession has clearly hit the internet as well as brick and mortar retailers, there is hope given that attracting visitors is the most expensive part of e-commerce.
