Toys and video games were not as fortunate this year, with a lack of the must-have toy to drive sales. Moreover, the line between product categories are blurring with the introduction of more hybrid devices that can be considered consumer electronics or computer hardware.
The fact that apparel was one of the more dominant product categories shows that consumers have a high comfort level with buying online.
We remain enthusiastic about the start of this holiday season, as several categories saw substantial revenue increases. The growth in 2004 holiday revenue suggests that consumers are shifting more dollars to the Internet this season.
People bought more than last year. You see the categories not changing very much from years past. We all expected a heavy gadget-type of Christmas.
Apparel remains one of the more dominant product categories during the holiday season, mirroring offline holiday retail behavior.