Shoppers have spent nearly $22 billion in the first 40 days of the holiday selling season, according to market research firm comScore.
Gift-givers have spent $21.95 billion from the beginning of November to Dec. 11, boosting sales figures by 12 percent compared to the same time period last year, when shoppers shelled out about $19.7 billion, comScore notes. So far, Cyber Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving, has been the most profitable single day for online retailers, with consumers forking over more than $1 billion.
The week of Dec. 6 was also quite profitable, pulling in more than $5 billion, an 11-percent increase compared to 2009. On Dec. 6 alone, shoppers spent about $943 million, making it the second most profitable shopping day, to date, comScore notes.
However, experts say Americans will continue to spend big as the holidays near.
"It's clear that while deal-seeking shoppers may have driven stronger-than-anticipated spending early in the season, Americans continue to demonstrate a significantly greater willingness to spend online this year than in seasons past," says comScore Chairman Gian Fulgoni. "This coming week, beginning with Green Monday, [the second Monday of December], should see some of the heaviest online shopping activity of the season, and we expect at least one more day to surpass the billion-dollar spending threshold."
Green Monday might be that day, as it has been among the busiest online shopping days since 2005, when shoppers spent $556 million. Last year that number was up to $854 million.
"We anticipate that Green Monday this year will be another strong day for online buying, leading off what will be the heaviest spending week of the season," Fulgoni continues. "However, with Free Shipping Day occurring on Friday, Dec. 17, it is likely that buying will get distributed more evenly across the week rather than concentrated so heavily in the early days of the week. As a result, several days in the upcoming week are candidates for the heaviest online spending day of the year."
Auctiva staff writers constantly monitor trends and best practices of those selling on eBay and elsewhere online. They attend relevant training seminars and trade shows and regularly discuss the market with PowerSellers and other market experts.
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