NEW YORK, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Consumers turned to the Internet for holiday shopping during the week ending Dec. 19, spiking a 31 percent increase in online sales to $1.88 billion.
ComScore Networks reported online sales are up 29 percent overall since the holiday shopping season began in November, CNN reported Sunday.
ComScore, which compiles data from 50,000 online merchants, had forecast online retail spending in November and December of between $12.1 and $12.6 billion, an increase of 25 to 30 percent, CNN said.
George Whalin, president of Retail Management Consultants, told CNN that bad weather such as the snowstorms in the northeast helped make this "a banner year for online retail sales."
"The other factor is that consumers are much more comfortable using the Internet and they're appreciating the convenience of it," he said.
