by Claudia Bruemmer

Shopatron, Inc., an ecommerce platform provider for manufacturers and retailers reports that sales volumes jumped 16.5 percent for brand manufacturers. The ecommerce platform and online marketing provider said same-store online sales for its brand manufacturer clients increased 25.5 percent in November and 4.5 percent during the first 25 days of December compared to the same periods last year. Total holiday sales volume in 2011 increased 16.5 percent from 2010.

Holiday Marketing Strategy: Shopatron said the 25.5 percent increase in November and the smaller increase in December indicate that online retailers have become more aggressive with marketing and discounts early in the season while offering fewer promotions as Christmas drew near, a strategy that that is used to protect margins. “The holiday season felt more healthy,” said Mark Grondin, senior vice president of marketing for Shopatron. “We did not see the kind of intense discounting that we saw last year. As a result, we believe deeper analysis will show higher profits this season,” he added.

Consumer goods manufacturers that want to sell directly to consumers can use Shopatron ecommerce sales platforms and fulfillment services to drive more online sales while also increasing sales through a retail channel.

Apparel Industry: Many different industries are Shopatron clients including the apparel industry, with approximately 60 apparel brands using Shopatron. These brands partner with over 3,000 retailers who participate in the Shopatron Network to fulfill orders.
Online retail is the fastest growing sales channel in the apparel industry. Total sales revenue funneled from Shopatron apparel brands to dealers increased 278 percent over two years (January 2008 to December 2010).

Sales growth for Shopatron clients outpaced the industry-wide sales growth measured by web measurement firm comScore for Thanksgiving Day sales. Shopatron said Thanksgiving Day sales increased 43 percent for its clients, while comScore reported Thanksgiving Day online sales increased 18 percent year over year. Online retailers made $479 million in Thanksgiving Day sales this year versus $407 million last year, according to comScore statistics.

Mobile Sales: More consumers are shopping with their mobile devices this holiday season. Shopatron reported more of its clients’ traffic and sales came through the mobile channel this year than in 2010. In For instance, Thanksgiving weekend traffic and sales shifted more significantly to mobile, accounting for 14.5 percent of web site traffic and 8.4 percent of sales revenue for Shopatron clients for the Thursday, Friday and Monday around the Thanksgiving weekend.