E-commerce Update: Latest COVID Surge Potentially Driving Online Sales

Here, the IndieCommerce team shares an important look at current trends in the world of e-commerce.

Over the past week, the percentage of online customers who complete a purchase (the e-commerce conversion rate) has remained at about 5 percent. On October 27, the IndieCommerce team saw a 22.58 percent spike in revenue over the previous week’s average. This resulted in the highest single day of online sales seen since August 29.

Yesterday’s increase in revenue was driven by increased traffic to IndieCommerce and IndieLite websites. The websites experienced the highest surge in users we have seen since June 19 (see blue line below).

The anomalous increase in online traffic may be partly the result of a dramatic surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. This “third wave” of the virus is generating considerable media attention across the U.S., which may be driving consumers back online.