US consumer online shopping spending fell in February! Inflation continues

According to the latest data from Salesforce Commerce Cloud, American consumers bought fewer goods in February this year compared with the same period last year. However, as inflation pushed up prices, online revenue of American retailers increased by 6% year-on-year.

Salesforce said retailers and consumers are facing higher prices as labor, inventory issues and last-mile costs drive up the cost of goods.

Highlights from Salesforce's February 2022 U.S. online sales data include:

In February, the volume of online orders in the United States decreased by 11% year-on-year, and the number of items per order decreased by 1.3% year-on-year (3.79 items, compared with 3.84 items in 2021).

U.S. consumer prices rose 11.2% year-over-year in February, while global prices rose 4.4% year-over-year.

Product inventories fell -1% in the U.S. and -5% globally in February as retailers and consumers continued to grapple with supply chain issues.

Categories with the highest year-over-year price increases in February included:

Home and furniture (21.8%);

Household and electrical appliances (17.9%);

Home, dining, art and decoration (11%).

Product categories with the smallest year-over-year price increases in February included:

Sports shoes (1.3%);

Ordinary footwear (0.8%);

Electronic products and accessories (0.5%).

"The challenges consumers faced during the holidays, including inflation and low inventory, have not disappeared in the new year," said Rob Garf, vice president and general manager of Salesforce's retail business. He also pointed out that it is clear that inflation is having an impact on overall consumer spending. In the face of these persistent headwinds, retailers need to eliminate friction and improve the experience by combining offline and online shopping.

Editor ✎ Xiao Zhu/

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