• by December 22, 2000

Total spending on online sales increased from $4.4 billion in October to nearly $6.4 billion in November - more than 22 million households shopped online in November, spending an average of $285 per person, according to the latest NRF/Forrester Online Retail Index.

Categories that experienced a significant increase included toys, sporting goods, and apparel. Online sales of toys and videogames soared from $203 million in October to $673 million in November.

Online sales of sporting goods shot from $68 million in October to $152 million in November. Similarly, apparel leapt from $253 million in October to $525 million in November.

Sales of food and beverages, books, and music also grew significantly in November. Food and beverages increased from $158 million in October to $305 million in November. Books increased to $383 million in November from $205 million in October. Music grew from $146 million in October to $257 million in November.

"Obviously, the holiday has been a strong driver of November's booming online sales," said James L. McQuivey, research director at Forrester. "Since the Index is nearly a year old, we are almost at the point of being able to compare year-to-year sales -- analysis that will provide insight into how other holidays and various external influences affect consumer online shopping habits."