US 2006 E-Commerce Spending Reaches $102 Billion

"2006 was certainly an exceptional year for online retailers as e-commerce spending eclipsed $100 billion for the first time, and growth remained very strong with a 24-percent increase versus last year," said Gian Fulgoni, chairman of comScore Networks. "The online holiday shopping season of course played a vital role in the year's success, as spending accelerated during the final two months of the year, helping push total online retail spending over the $100 billion threshold."

Online retail spending saw several strong individual spending days during 2006, with 12 days during the November/December holiday season surpassing the $600 million mark. In comparison, just six days in 2005 reached $500 million in online sales, with the top day registering $556 million (Monday, December 12, 2005).

Wednesday, December 13 marked the heaviest online spending day of 2006 with $667 million spent, followed by Monday, December 11 ($661 million) and Monday, December 4 ($648 million). Monday, November 27 ("Cyber Monday") was surpassed 11 times during the subsequent weeks of the holiday season.

The flow of online holiday retail spending in 2006, as compared to the previous year, demonstrated that online consumers pushed their buying later than ever. Spending growth during the first third of the season (Weeks 1-3) rose a modest 23 percent above 2005 levels, despite the week before Thanksgiving, which saw robust 30-percent growth versus the corresponding week in 2005. The middle third of the season (Weeks 4-6), during which the greatest share of holiday e-commerce spending occurred, was consistent with the 26-percent growth demonstrated during the course of the season as a whole. The final three weeks of the holiday season (Weeks 7-9) saw a major surge in spending as the procrastinators came out in full force, driving a 31-percent increase versus the corresponding weeks in 2005. The week leading up to Christmas (week ending December 24, 2006) saw the biggest surge with a 45-percent increase versus the corresponding week a year ago, as consumers showed their faith in online retailers' ability to 'deliver the goods' in time for Christmas.