Commentary

Online Holiday Spending Pushing Records

A new comScore survey reported that, for holiday season retail e-commerce spending for the first 41 days of the November - December 2009 holiday season. $19.9 billion has been spent online, marking a 3% increase versus the corresponding days last year. The most recent week saw above average online spending growth of 4% versus year ago, as two individual days surpassed $800 million in spending, led by Thursday, Dec. 10, with $852 million.

2009 Holiday Season To Date vs. Corresponding Days in 2008 (Retail Spending,Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations)

 

Millions ($)

 

 

2008

2009

Percent Change

November 1 -  December 11

$19,282

$19,938

3%

Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 26)

$288

$318

10%

Black Friday (Nov. 27)

$534

$595

11%

Cyber Monday (Nov. 30)

$834

$887

5%

Week Ending Dec. 11 (Dec. 5 - Dec. 11)

$4,516

$4,644

4%

Source: comScore, Inc, December 2009

comScore chairman, Gian Fulgoni, anticipates that "... Monday, December 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... "

 Since comScore began tracking e-commerce spending in 2001, it has witnessed thirteen individual spending days eclipse $800 million, each of which has occurred during the past three holiday seasons. The heaviest online spending day on record was Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2008 with $887 million, which squeaked by Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 (Cyber Monday) by a mere rounding error. Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009 was on a par with those totals with $886 million in spending. Of the top ten spending days on record, four have occurred in 2009, four in 2008, and two in 2007.

Ten Heaviest U.S. Online Retail Spending Days on Record thru Dec. 11, 2009 (Retail Spending, Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations)

 

Date

Spending in Millions ($)

1

Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2008

$887

2

Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 (Cyber Monday)

$887

3

Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009

$886

4

Monday, Dec. 10, 2007 (Green Monday)

$881

5

Monday, Dec. 15, 2008 (Green Monday*)

$859

6

Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009

$852

7

Monday, Dec. 1, 2008 (Cyber Monday)

$846

8

Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009

$828

9

Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008

$823

10

Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2007

$819

 Source: comScore, Inc.

For additional information about the survey and comScore, please visit here.

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