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Online Holiday Spending Approaches $20 B for the Season as 2 Days Surpass $800 M in Spending in Most Recent Week

Otilia Otlacan | December 21, 2009

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“Green Monday” (Dec. 14) Represents Best Chance for an Individual Day to Reach $900 Million in Spending this Season

RESTON, VA – comScore (NASDAQ : SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, reported holiday season retail e-commerce spending for the first 41 days of the November – December 2009 holiday season. For the holiday season-to-date, $19.9 billion has been spent online, marking a 3-percent increase versus the corresponding days last year. The most recent week saw above average online spending growth of 4 percent versus year ago, as two individual days surpassed $800 million in spending, led by Thursday, Dec. 10, with $852 million.

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2009 Holiday Season To Date vs. Corresponding Days* in 2008

Non-Travel (Retail) Spending

Excludes Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases

Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations

Source: comScore, Inc.
Millions ($)

2008 2009 Percent Change

November 1 – December 11 $19,282 $19,938 3%

Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 26) $288 $318 10%

Black Friday (Nov. 27) $534 $595 11%

Cyber Monday (Nov. 30) $834 $887 5%

Week Ending Dec. 11 (Dec. 5 – Dec. 11) $4,516 $4,644 4%
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*Corresponding days based on corresponding shopping days (November 2 thru December 12, 2008)

“Although this most recent week of holiday shopping did not produce the first $900 million spending day, we saw above average growth rates including a strong end to the week,” said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni. “Monday, December 14 – otherwise known as Green Monday – is likely to produce our heaviest online spending total for the season and represents our best opportunity to finally surpass that elusive $900 million spending threshold. The early part of this upcoming week should bring us the heaviest online spending days of the season before consumers refocus their attention on brick-and-mortar retail locations to finish up their holiday shopping.”

Ten Heaviest Online Spending Days on Record
Since comScore began tracking e-commerce spending in 2001, it has witnessed thirteen individual spending days eclipse $800 million, each of which has occurred during the past three holiday seasons. The heaviest online spending day on record was Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2008 with $887 million, which squeaked by Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 (Cyber Monday) by a mere rounding error. Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009 was on a par with those totals with $886 million in spending. Of the top ten spending days on record, four have occurred in 2009, four in 2008, and two in 2007.
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Ten Heaviest U.S. Online Retail Spending Days on Record (thru Dec. 11, 2009)

Non-Travel (Retail) Spending

Excludes Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases

Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations

Source: comScore, Inc.
Date Spending in Millions ($)

1 Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2008 $887

2 Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 (Cyber Monday) $887

3 Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009 $886

4 Monday, Dec. 10, 2007 (Green Monday) $881

5 Monday, Dec. 15, 2008 (Green Monday*) $859

6 Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009 $852

7 Monday, Dec. 1, 2008 (Cyber Monday) $846

8 Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009 $828

9 Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008 $823

10 Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2007 $819
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*Green Monday occurs on the Monday with at least 10 days prior to Christmas and tends to be the heaviest online spending day of the season. In 2008, it was the second heaviest day of the season.

About comScore
comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital marketing intelligence. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/companyinfo.

Otilia is the founder and editor of AdOperationsOnline.com, launched in 2008. She currently provides online business consulting through her company, RightFit Media, and blogs about all things online at www.otiliaotlacan.com.

Otilia Otlacan

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