Despite a rough year for the economy, buyers have spent more online this holiday season than they did at this time a year ago, according to one market researcher.
comScore reports that during the first 41 days of holiday shopping—Nov. 1 to Dec. 11—shoppers purchased more than $19.9 billion in goods, a 3-percent increase compared to the same period in 2008.
Sales also increased on three key shopping days, comScore says. On Thanksgiving, buyers bought $318 million worth of items online, a 10-percent increase compared to the year before. Sales increased by 11 percent on Black Friday over 2008, and by 5 percent on Cyber Monday.
So far this season, sales peaked on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 at $887 million and $886 million, respectively. But one other day also surpassed $850 million in sales: Holiday shoppers purchased $853 million worth of goods on Dec. 10. In fact, the second week of December was quite profitable for online retailers, with sales seeing "above average growth rates, including a strong end to the week," says Gian Fulgoni, comScore's chairman.
"Monday, Dec. 14—otherwise known as Green Monday—is likely to produce our heaviest online spending total for the season and represents our best opportunity to finally surpass that elusive $900 million spending threshold," he says. "The early part of this upcoming week should bring us the heaviest online spending days of the season before consumers refocus their attention on brick-and-mortar retail locations to finish up their holiday shopping."
Auctiva staff writers constantly monitor trends and best practices of those selling on eBay and elsewhere online. They attend relevant training seminars and trade shows and regularly discuss the market with PowerSellers and other market experts.
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