Salesforce Survey: North American Online Consumption Data for Q1 2021

U.S. online retailers ended the quarter on a strong note as consumers increased spending in response to the American Rescue Plan Act, according to Salesforce's Q1 2021 Shopping Index.

March 17, a joyous St. Patrick’s Day in the U.S., was the peak of online spending in the quarter, up 117% year-over-year, and coincided with the official payment date for the first batch of stimulus checks to about 90 million Americans.

For the full quarter, U.S. digital revenue grew 45% year over year , well above pre-pandemic levels and slightly higher than the 43% year over year digital revenue growth Salesforce reported in the fourth quarter of 2020. Salesforce reported that the product categories with the fastest year-over-year digital sales growth in the first quarter included sporting goods ( 101% ) , home appliances ( 96% ) , and luxury handbags ( 95% ) .

Conversely, product categories with the lowest year-over-year digital sales growth this quarter included activewear ( 42% ) , home, dining, art and decor ( 40% ) , and general handbags and luggage ( 8% ) .

Salesforce data shows that global digital revenue grew 58% year-over-year in the first quarter of this year. According to Salesforce, this healthy global digital revenue growth was driven by a combination of the amount shoppers spent per site visit ( 31% ) and overall online traffic growth ( 27% ) .

“Retailers have been forced to compete aggressively over the last year as they responded to an influx of new digital shoppers and adopted new strategies, like curbside pickup, to help keep consumers safe,” said Rob Garf, vice president and general manager of retail at Salesforce.

“The growth in digital commerce in the first quarter is a signal that retailers need to continue to expand their investments in digital while refocusing on the physical store experience. Ultimately, stores must offer a balance of contactless and immersive experiences to meet the different needs of consumers.”

The Q1 Shopping Index analyzes the activity of more than 1 billion shoppers in more than 40 countries and is powered by Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Several factors are then applied to extrapolate forecasts and actual data for the broader retail industry, and additional data hygiene factors are applied to help ensure consistency in metric calculations.

North America

First Quarter

Salesforce