For the first 56 days of the 2010 holiday season (Nov. 1 – Dec. 26), $30.81 billion has been spent online, marking a 13% increase from $27.37 billion the corresponding days last year, according to comScore. The most recent week (ending Dec. 26) generated $2.45 billion in spending, an increase of 17% compared to the corresponding week last year.
Handheld Tech Boosts Computer Hardware Sales
Computer hardware ranks as the top-growing category for the holiday season to date with a 23% increase from last year. comScore research indicates purchases of handheld devices (such as Apple iPads and e-readers) and laptop computers have driven much of the category growth.
Books & magazines ranks second with 22% growth, followed by consumer electronics (up 21%), computer software excluding PC games (up 20%) and toys (up 16%). Other categories in the top 10 included jewelry & watches (up 11%) and apparel & accessories (up 8%).
Online Holiday Spending Consistently Beats Equivalent ’09 Figures
Overall online spending during the 2010 holiday season has consistently been running 12% or more higher than equivalent periods last year as measured by comScore. Other notable year-over-year increases recorded during this holiday season include 28%, from $318 million to $407 billion, on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 25); 9%, from $595 million to $648 million, on Black Friday (Nov. 26); 16%, from $887 million to $1.03 billion, on Cyber Monday (Nov. 29); 12%, from $854 million to $954 million, on Green Monday (Dec. 13); and 61%, from $586 million to $942 million, on Free Shipping Day (Dec. 17).
comScore Chairman Gian Fulgoni said during this holiday season, e-commerce has returned to a pre-recessionary state. “Online holiday spending has remained strong through Christmas and we’ve already seen the season totals easily surpass the levels of the past few years to set a new record for spending at almost $31 billion,” Fulgoni said. “For at least this holiday season, the American consumer has been able to shrug off the continuing economic challenges of high unemployment rates and depressed housing prices and spend at a rate that has been slightly stronger than we had expected.”
Upper Income Shoppers Drive Late Xmas Spending
A boost in Christmas week spending by upper income shoppers helped create an overall increase in self-reported US consumer spending during the last two weeks of the Christmas season, according to a new Gallup poll. Upper-income Americans’ self-reported consumer spending in stores, restaurants, gas stations, and online averaged $183 per day during the week ending Dec. 26, 2010. This figure is up about 45% from $126 during the same week in 2009.
