• AP, Wednesday, December 14, 2005 10 AM

Analysts say online retailers should be "pleasantly surprised" with the turnout this holiday shopping season, according to the Associated Press, and with three days to go before the end of guaranteed free shipping by Christmas, many online retailers are now stepping up their promotions. Because of high oil prices, many retailers began the holiday push several weeks before Thanksgiving weekend this year, and it looks as though the jump start has paid off. As retailers enter the final stretch, consumers should be on the watch for two-for-one deals, one-day-only sales, and other promotions all over the Web. For the 39-day period that ended Dec. 9, non-travel online sales increased 23 percent to $12.75 billion. For the week ended Dec. 4, Nielsen/NetRatings reports that visits to the top hundred online shopping destinations shot up 33 percent from a year ago.

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