September 21, 1999
U.S. Commerce Dept to Collect Data on Online Sales
By REUTERS
ASHINGTON -- The online shopper comes under the U.S. spotlight next month as officials try to count how much consumers spend with a click of the mouse, and how much it contributes to the booming U.S. economy.
Lee Price, chief economist at the Commerce Department said on Monday that the government would start asking retailers how much they sold over the Internet, where company websites are a rapidly growing medium for retail sales.
"This is a fast-moving, important development," Price told Reuters. "We are committed to getting out there and starting to ask questions."
He said the Commerce Department was launching a test program under which it will collect data on Internet retailing as part of its monthly retail sales survey.
Commerce currently tallies receipts of shopping outlets from convenience stores to department stores in its monthly retail sales report, a closely watched barometer of consumer spending.
When conducting its retail sales surveys for October, November and December, the department will now ask companies what proportion of their sales took place online -- a question that never before was part of the survey.
The department will not release the e-commerce data to the public initially as it needs time to analyze the reliability of the data and evaluate its usefulness. Price said Commerce plans to make an announcement in February on its future plans to collect and release the e-commerce data.
