Boosted by consumer electronics, online sales from Nov. 1 through Christmas Eve increased 5 percent over last year, reported Internet research firm comScore.
The increase is welcome news for credit card issuers who have seen significant in-store declines in the use of plastic for charging purchases this holiday season.
Internet sales during the holiday period registered about $27 billion. After adjusting for an additional shopping day in 2009, sales grew by about 3.5 percent, comScore said.
Last year, online sales fell by 3 percent.
“Online sales growth this year was driven by a continued increase in the number of people buying online, but consumers’ economic challenges resulted in a slight decline versus last year in the amount spent per buyer,” said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni.
Fulgoni said that retailers’ willingness to offer free shipping later in the season, and “consumers’ confidence in expedited shipping arriving in time” contributed to the stronger numbers this year.
“In these tough economic times, the retailers with sufficient financial resources and a willingness to invest in aggressive marketing and free shipping offers were clear winners,” he said.
Consumer electronics saw particularly strong sales growth, with slightly more than 20 percent. Jewelry and watches also turned in a strong performance, but they followed a very weak 2008 season, according to comScore.
The online sales performance featured a strong start as a result of early retail promotions, and a very strong finish helped by the snow storms that occurred the weekend of Dec 19 – 20 that kept many shoppers at home and at their computers.
