In October, e-commerce continued to be one of the top conversations in technology, maintaining its standing as the #3 most-cited topic. We began to see the traditional holiday spike in e-commerce conversations this past month with a 16% increase in coverage volume over September. Strikingly, the topic demonstrated a whopping 43% increase in coverage volume year-over-year from October 2019, showing how magnified e-commerce is this season due to all of the pandemic-driven factors. As COVID-19 cases surge across the nation, e-commerce has become the primary way people buy everyday staples as well as gifts for loved ones this holiday season.

Amazon far outstripped the competition when it came to brands garnering e-commerce news in October. Amazon Prime Day, now in its fifth year, saw record sales of more than $10 billion, including a record $3.5 billion for third-party sellers, and was the largest single conversation driver in e-commerce. Among the flurry of stories on deals and sales, many media reported how Prime Day was barometer for what Black Friday and Cyber Monday will be like. Alibaba and Alipay also grew in conversation share in October with many anticipating upcoming sales for Singles Day.

Looking at the e-commerce conversation drivers in October, there was less of a focus on the business of e-commerce, and a growing emphasis on topics such as “online,” “sales,” “brands,” and “customers.” These terms surged with the rise in stories on where consumers could go to get the best deals and holiday sales.

How much higher can e-commerce conversations go? With less people traveling for the holidays and more time and possibly more disposable income on our hands, people may turn to gifting to show friends and family how much they care in the absence of getting together. Expect e-commerce usage and conversations to continue to climb as the year-end approaches.