First quarter 2017 e-commerce sales rose 3.7 times faster than overall retail year-on-year

Retail e-commerce sales for the first quarter of 2018 were up 3.9 percent from the fourth quarter of 2017 and up 16.4 percent year-on-year. E-commerce sales in the first quarter of 2018 accounted for 9.5 percent of total sales, up from 8.5 percent a year ago.

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E-commerce sales growth continued to outpace total retail sales growth in 1Q 2017

U.S. retail e-commerce sales for the first quarter of 2017 rose 4.1 percent from the fourth quarter of 2016.  At the same time, total retail sales for the first quarter of 2017 rose 1.0 percent.

Comparing year-on-year, the first quarter 2017 e-commerce estimate increased 14.7 percent from the first quarter of 2016 while total retail sales increased 5.1 percent in the same period.

E-commerce sales in the first quarter of 2017 accounted for 8.5 percent of total sales, up from 8.2 percent the previous quarter and 7.8 year-on-year.

Retail sales rebounded 0.4 percent in April, with online sales up 1.4 percent

Americans stepped up their spending at auto dealers, hardware stores and e-commerce outlets as retail sales rebounded from two sluggish months, with retail sales rising 0.4 percent in April.  Sales had ticked up just 0.1 percent in March and fell in February.

The rise also indicates that the struggles of large retail chains, such as Macy's and JC Penney's, reflect changes in consumer buying patterns rather than broader economic weakness. Sales at department stores fell 0.2 percent. Yet a category that includes online retailers reported sales growth of 1.4 percent, the strongest of any group.