Mention Me research: Retail becomes an online first world

The e-commerce space has remained buoyant, despite normal life resuming, with online sales up 24% and referrals up 15% compared to pre-pandemic levels.

That’s according to new research from referral engineering platform Mention Me, which has analysed online retail sales over Q3 2021.

Additional analysis anticipates 5% more sales on Black Friday this year than in 2020.

Mention Me looked at data from across its 450+ client base for this research.

Online food and drink has been one of the biggest growth sectors during the pandemic, with yet another strong performance in Q3 cementing this trend.

Orders are up 10% compared to an already successful Q3 2020, and the data shows referrals, up 15% YoY, are a key driver of this growth: consumers shared food and drinks brands 30% more in Q3 compared to the same quarter last year.

A Referral Engineering™ programme uses everyday conversations to drive sales and increase your customer acquisition.

Find out more about putting the heart and soul back into your marketing in our latest blog.https://t.co/zPxFrqDsdQ #DoMoreWithReferral
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Fashion remains steady, with analysts seeing online activity comparable to 2020 levels and orders up 17% compared to before the pandemic in Q3 2019. Health and beauty continues to grow, up 11% compared to Q3 2020 and 45% from Q3 2019.

After a stellar 2020, the gifts and occasions sector has struggled to sustain its rapid growth, with sales down 30% year on year. This is 22% higher than pre-pandemic, however, and customers are 50% more likely to recommend e-commerce brands in this sector than in Q3 2020.

Home and garden orders have also fallen year on year, as consumers rebalance their spending away from home renovations now out of lockdown.

However, despite being down 8% on Q3 2020, orders have increased by 45% since Q3 2019.

“The more data we see, the clearer it is that the retail industry has become an online first world,” says Simon Dring, Head of Retail Insights at Mention Me.

“Despite consumer spending adjusting to life post-lockdown, almost every e-commerce category continues to drive significantly more sales and referrals than pre-pandemic levels.”

“Our referral data also shows how the gap is now widening between brands able to leverage their customer data to drive customer acquisition and loyalty, and those left struggling to adapt to the world of e-commerce.”

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