The Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce announced today that the estimate of U.S. retail e-commerce sales for the first quarter of 2001, not adjusted for seasonal, holiday, and trading-day differences, was $6.994 billion, an increase of 33.5% (± 5.3%) from the first quarter of 2000. Total retail sales for the first quarter of 2001 were estimated at $765.2 billion, an increase of 2.3% (± 0.5%) from the same quarter a year ago.

The first quarter 2001 e-commerce estimate decreased 19.3% (± 2.6%) from the fourth quarter of 2000 while total retail sales were down 10.6% (± 0.4%) from the prior quarter.

E-commerce sales in the first quarter of 2001 accounted for 0.9% of total sales compared to 1.0% in the fourth quarter of 2000. E-commerce sales were 0.7% of total sales in the first quarter of 2000.

JCK