Pandemic drove online prices higher -report

FILE PHOTO: A worker gathers items for delivery from the warehouse floor at Amazon's distribution center in Phoenix, Arizona November 22, 2013. REUTERS/Ralph D. Freso/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The rush to online shopping during the pandemic drove prices higher for goods ordered over the internet, eroding a long-standing cost advantage and possible evidence that overall inflation may become more persistent than thought, according to a new report from tech giant Adobe.

The study, analyzing a trillion retail site visits across 18 product categories matched to the closely watched U.S. Consumer Price Index that measures general inflation, found that online prices jumped 2.3% in June on an annual basis.