For the first time since they started keeping online shopping statistics, the Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce recently announced a drop in e-commerce sales.

By Picture Business Staff

For the first time since they started keeping online shopping statistics, the Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce recently announced a drop in e-commerce sales.

The estimate of U.S. retail e-commerce sales for the first quarter of 2009 totaled $30.2 billion, a decrease of 17.7 percent from the fourth quarter of 2008. The first quarter 2009 e-commerce estimate decreased 5.7 percent from the first quarter of 2008 while total retail sales decreased 11.6 percent in the same period. E-commerce sales in the first quarter of 2009 accounted for 3.6 percent of total sales.

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