Reston, Va.—Third-quarter revenue generated by e-commerce Web sites declined 2% compared with the same quarter last year, marking the first time Internet sales have fallen for two quarters in a row.
According to a report from Internet marketing research company comScore, third-quarter e-commerce sales at non-travel sites totaled $29.6 billion, compared with $30.2 billion in the year-earlier period. Free shipping of e-commerce purchases is a growing trend, comScore said. Shipping now is free on 42% of all Internet purchases, a percentage that has increased every quarter since the beginning of 2008, according to the company.
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