Online Spending Sets New Weekly Record

comScore released the e-commerce spending totals for the period of November 1 through December 2, 2011. During the reported period, $18.7 billion had been spent online. This marks a 15 percent increase over 2010.Three days recorded over $1 billion in spending: Cyber Monday ($1.25 billion), Tuesday, November 29 ($1.12 billion) and Wednesday, November 30 ($1.03 billion). These mark three of the four heaviest online spending days in the history of online retail reporting. Cyber Monday 2010 was the first over $1 billion spending day, with approximately $1.03 billion in online sales.Free shipping continues to draw online shoppers. Well over 50 percent of the online retail transactions included free shipping. Consumers rate free shipping as an important factor when shopping online. Thirty-six percent of the shoppers surveyed by comScore listed free shipping as “very important, I will not make a purchase without it” and 42 percent marked it as “somewhat important, I actively seek out fee shipping deals.”Free Shipping Day is slated for December 16, 2011. Last year this was the third heaviest online spending day. To take advantage of this marking opportunity, and capture those last minute shoppers, promote free shipping with delivery by Christmas Eve.