E-commerce Update: Sales Slide After Rush for Antiracism Titles

Here, the IndieCommerce team shares an important look at current trends in the world of e-commerce.

Following the huge increase in traffic on IndieCommerce and IndieLite websites two weeks ago (orange line), when the demand for antiracism titles was at its peak, this week traffic has dropped by 27 percent (blue line) as that demand tapered.

Much of the traffic increase from two weeks ago was driven by first-time customers who were referred from Google searches to bookstores that were selling antiracism titles. For some Black-owned independent bookstores, traffic was also driven by referral lists that were widely circulated by online publications and social media.

As those sales have tapered, we are now seeing a shift back to traffic from longtime customers of IndieCommerce and IndieLite websites. Even though traffic has decreased, dedicated customers are still buying online, which results in an increase in the e-commerce conversion rate (blue line below).

Keep in mind that many of those online shoppers who purchased books from you during the upsurge two weeks ago were first-time customers. Convert them into long-term customers by emailing them as soon as possible and keeping them engaged with what is happening at your store. See ABA’s recent Marketing Meetups on the topic (look for “Retaining New Customers”).