Online US holiday spending up five percent: comScore

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Online US retail spending over the Christmas holiday season rose five percent over a year ago to 27 billion dollars, tracking firm comScore reported on Wednesday.

ComScore said retail e-commerce spending totaled 27.121 billion dollars from November 1 through December 24, up from the 25.845 billion dollars spent online during the same period last year.

"Following last year's disappointing performance when sales fell by three percent, the e-commerce sector saw a positive 2009 holiday shopping season with sales up by five percent," comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni said in a statement.

ComScore said a heavy snowstorm on the weekend before Christmas helped push up online sales.

"The season featured a strong start as a result of early retailer promotions and a very strong finish helped by the snowstorms that occurred the weekend of Dec 19-20," Fulgoni said.

He said the current "economic challenges" resulted in a slight decline in the amount spent per buyer compared with last year but did not provide any figures.

ComScore said consumer electronics spending was up more than 20 percent and jewelry and watches also turned in a strong performance.

It said the single largest spending day was December 15, when online sales totaled 913 million dollars, up 21 percent over the equivalent day last year.

Online spending during the December 19-20 weekend of the snowstorm rose to 767 million dollars from 677 million dollars a year ago.