ComScore reports 12% increase in holiday retail e-commerce spending

RESTON, Va. — ComScore on Wednesday tabulated $28.4 billion in holiday season retail e-commerce spending for the first 49 days of the November/December 2010 holiday season. That marks a 12% increase versus the year-ago period.



The most recent week (ended Dec. 19) reached $5.5 billion in spending, an increase of 14% versus the corresponding week last year. The final shopping weekend before Christmas reached $900 million in retail e-commerce spending, representing a strong 17% growth rate versus last year.



"Spending growth has remained strong right through the final shopping weekend of the holiday season," stated ComScore chairman Gian Fulgoni. "The growth rate of 17% witnessed during the final weekend capped off the heaviest online spending week of all time at $5.5 billion,” he noted. “Although there are still nearly two weeks remaining before the end of the year, holiday spending is inching very close to the total for the entire 2009 holiday season, a sign of just how much the online retail landscape has improved in the past year."