Online Retail Spending By Generation, December 2012 [CHART]

Chart - Online Retail Spending By Generation

With retail e-commerce setting new peaks seemingly with every passing week, and an impressive 87% of the online population visiting a retail site in November, new research from Forrester Research identifies who the biggest spenders are on an age basis. In its State of Consumers and Technology: Benchmark 2012 report, Forrester finds that more than three-quarters of the 57,499 US online adults surveyed had ordered products or services online during the previous 3 months. And while Gen Y adults (24-32) were the most likely to have done so, it was Gen Xers (33-46) who spent the most.

Specifically, 84% of Gen Yers shopped online during the 3 months prior to the survey, slightly above the roughly 8 in 10 Gen Xers who did so. But, with an average $561 in spending, Gen Xers spent about 15% more online than Gen Yers ($489), and roughly 25% more than the average online adult ($449).

While Gen Z (18-23) was about average in its propensity to shop online, its average spend stood at just $294, even less than the Golden Generation (68+; $297), and the least of all generations. Read the rest at MarketingCharts.