Crunching The Numbers On The Ammo Sales Spike

The folks over at Ammo.com haven’t just been feverishly filling online orders over the past few weeks as Americans across the country are flocking to stock up while the country is locking down. The Ammo.com staff also been keeping track of where the surge in demand is coming from, and have released some fascinating data about the sales spike.

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While many gun stores saw the increase in demand kick in last week, the folks at Ammo.com say they first started seeing a swelling demand back in late February, with a 53% increase in sales on February 23rd. By March 15th, the website says sales had increased by a staggering 276% percent.

When comparing 22 days worth of sales from February 23, 2020, through March 15, with sales from February 1, 2020, through February 22, our data shows these staggering statistics:

  • 309% increase in revenue
  • 78% increase in conversion rate
  • 222% increase in transactions
  • 77% increase in site traffic
  • 27% increase in average order

Much of the online traffic appears to be coming from states that either have reported a high number of COVID-19 cases, or states that border others where clusters have been reported.

  • Vermont had no previous sales, so it ranks top on our list. Although its COVID-19 cases are minimal, it borders both Massachusetts and New York, two hot spots for coronavirus.
  • Delaware has seen a sales growth of 4,529%. The state’s own numbers are low, but it’s surrounded by a high concentration of cases in New Jersey and the Philadelphia area.
  • Oklahoma saw a growth of 1,081% in sales and borders states like Texas and Colorado, both of which have been hit hard with COVID-19.
  • Mississippi has also seen a significant increase at 1,049%, perhaps influenced by its proximity to Louisiana, which has surpassed 100 confirmed cases.
  • Speaking of which, Louisiana has seen a growth of 1,041%, which may be due to the increasing number of cases the state has seen over the last week.
  • Alabama, which borders COVID-19 hotspots in Florida and Georgia, has seen a sales boost of 892%.
  • Wyoming, which borders Colorado and its 100-plus coronavirus victims, has seen an increase of 819%.
  • The sales increase in Colorado reached 667%.
  • Idaho, which shares a border with Washington, the U.S.’s epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, has had a growth of 586%.
  • Oregon has seen an increase of 550%. Sharing borders with both Washington and California, the state is sandwiched between two of the first states to confirm the virus in the U.S.
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According to Ammo.com, Texans have been their biggest customers over the last three weeks in terms of volume, with sales to the Lone Star State increasing 338% percent. Delaware residents have also apparently discovered Ammo.com, as shipments to Biden’s home territory have shot up 4,539% (no, that’s not a typo).

The most popular ammo at the moment seems to be 9mm, followed closely by .223/5.56, and .45 ACP. Other popular calibers at the moment include 7.62×39, 40 caliber, and 12-gauge shotgun shells. In fact, Ammo.com says sales of 40 caliber ammunition have increased by more than 600% for them going back to February 1st.

As for how the company is handling the surge, Ammo.com does note on its website that they “have experienced a delay in our normal processing procedure. Instead of same-day shipping, it’s taking an average of two to three business days to completely process, package, and ship items.” Given the sharp increase in sales the company has seen over the past few weeks, that’s still a remarkably fast turnaround time.

On Tuesday’s Bearing Arms Cam & Co I’ll be speaking with Larry Keane of the National Shooting Sports Foundation to get another look at the staggering increase in firearms and ammunition that have been sold since mid-February, as well as an update on how the industry is handling the surge in demand.

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