While weather kept many consumers away from brick-and-mortar stores last quarter, purchases made via e-commerce sites increased 3.5 percent from the previous quarter, according to seasonally-adjusted figures from the Commerce Department. The numbers point to a record $80 billion worth of purchases. “Meanwhile, total retail sales declined 1.5 percent, the first quarterly drop in almost three years,” reports Bloomberg. “On a year-over-year basis, online purchases soared a whopping 14.5 percent, compared with a 1.6 percent increase for total sales.” According to one Bloomberg Intelligence analyst, apparel stores generate the largest percentage of their sales from online orders.