Total U.S. online spending decreased slightly to $3.97 billion last month from $4 billion in August while the number of households shopping online increased to 15.2 million in September from 14.8 million in August.
Specifically, consumers spent an average of $262 in September, compared with $273 in August, according to Forrester Research.
“The fact that online retail remained stable during a month of such social and economic instability speaks volumes about how well e-commerce is positioned to stand up to a poor economy,” said Forrester analyst Christopher M. Kelley, in a statement.
The Index is based on 5,000 responses during the first nine business days of the following month from an online panel developed by Greenfield Online. The survey results for September were fielded from Oct. 2 through Oct 9.
