eMarketer also breaks out ecommerce spending into “core” seasonal purchases, which include apparel and accessories, books/music/video, computers and consumer electronics, office equipment and supplies, and toys/hobby. For these categories, total online spending is expected to rise 14.3%.
In contrast to eMarketer’s forecast, the National Retail Federation projects that back-to-school sales will edge down slightly this year. While back-to-college spending will rise a bit, the NRF said, spending associated with school-age children will decline.