• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, December 6, 2011

Consumer online spending reached nearly $20 billion through the first 34 days of the holiday season (Nov.1-Dec. 4), up 15% from the year-earlier period, according to new data from comScore. That growth rate is also consistent with the Web research firm’s projection of a 15% gain in retail e-commerce spending for the entire 2011 holiday season.

In a departure from the last couple of years, comScore said the increase is being driven by growth in spending per buyer rather than in the number of buyers. The number of buyers overall has increased just 3% compared to a 12% increase in dollars per buyer. Households in the $50,000-$99,999 income range are leading growth in spending per buyer, up 20% from a year ago.

comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni surmised that mid-income Americans put aside penny-pinching to take advantage of the promotions and price discounts online retailers have been offering since the start of the holidays. In other words, deals are driving the uptick in spending.