Retail Holiday E-Commerce Spending Reaches $18 Billion for the Season, up 18 Percent Versus Year Ago

Thursday, December 6 the Heaviest Online Spending Day on Record, Surpassing $800 Million in Sales, Up 28 Percent versus Year AgoOnline Retailers Brace for Heaviest Week of Season

RESTON, Va., Dec. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- comScore, Inc. , a leader in measuring the digital world, today released an update of holiday season e-commerce spending for the first 37 days (November 1 - December 7) of the November - December 2007 holiday season. More than $18 billion has been spent online during the season-to-date, marking an 18-percent gain versus the corresponding days last year. Thursday, December 6 recorded $803 million in online sales, up 28 percent versus year ago, making it the heaviest online spending day in history.

    2007 Holiday Season To Date vs. Corresponding Days* in 2006

Non-Travel (Retail) Spending
Excludes Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases
Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations
Source: comScore, Inc.
Billions ($)
Holiday Season to Date 2006 2007 Pct
Change
November 1 - December 7 $15.24 $18.01 18%
Week Ending December 7 $3.83 $4.58 20%
Thanksgiving Day (November 22) $0.21 $0.27 29%
"Black Friday" (November 23) $0.43 $0.53 22%
"Cyber Monday" (November 26) $0.61 $0.73 21%
Thursday, December 6 $0.63 $0.80 28%
* Corresponding Shopping Days, Not Calendar Days

"December got off to a strong start, as we saw spending growth accelerate to 20 percent for the week and the first ever $800 million online spending day on record," said comScore Chairman Gian Fulgoni. "It was a terrific kick-start to December, but we expect the upcoming week to be the heaviest online spending week of the holiday season as the procrastinators and late-season deal-seekers come out in earnest."

Nintendo Wii and Apple iPod Lead the Way among Hot Tech Product Searches

November saw millions of consumers research their holiday season purchases, and several technology product searches proved particularly popular. More than 30 million U.S. searches were conducted for Nintendo Wii, while Apple iPod (24.8 million) and Xbox 360 (11 million) also generated heavy search activity. Interestingly, Sony PlayStation 2 generated more searches (9.7 million) than the more recently introduced PlayStation 3 (7.6 million), a sign that consumers are bargain-hunting this year and seeking out more affordable gift options.

    Selected* Tech Product Searches
November 2007
Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations
Source: comScore, Inc.

Products Searches (000)
Nintendo Wii 30,455
Apple iPod 24,777
Xbox 360 10,985
Playstation 2 9,658
Playstation 3 7,566
Nintendo DS Lite 6,586
Apple iPhone 6,002
Apple iPod Nano 4,231
Garmin GPS 3,032
Apple iPod Touch 2,880
Playstation PSP 2,010
TomTom GPS 1,291
Magellan GPS 664
Nokia N95 390
Nokia N81 66
Amazon Kindle 61

* Based on a selection of product searches; does not constitute a ranking of all products

"Gaming consoles and accessories represent the strongest growing product category this holiday season, with sales up more than 130 percent versus year ago. The Nintendo Wii is attracting particularly strong interest, as evidenced by the intense search activity occurring around the product," added Mr. Fulgoni. "While iPods and iPhones are predictably popular, we're also seeing that consumers are actively searching for information on GPS products. This is a category that can be expected to grow strongly during the next few years."

    comScore 2007 Retail E-Commerce Forecast

Online Non-Travel (Retail) Holiday Consumer Spending

Excludes Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases

Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations
Source: comScore, Inc.
Billions ($)

Pct
2006 2007 Change

January - October $77.5 $93.6 21%
Holiday Season (Nov-Dec) $24.6 $29.5* 20%*
*comScore forecast

About comScore

comScore, Inc. is a global leader in measuring the digital world. This capability is based on a massive, global cross-section of more than 2 million consumers who have given comScore permission to confidentially capture their browsing and transaction behavior, including online and offline purchasing. comScore panelists also participate in survey research that captures and integrates their attitudes and intentions. Through its proprietary technology, comScore measures what matters across a broad spectrum of behavior and attitudes. comScore analysts apply this deep knowledge of customers and competitors to help clients design powerful marketing strategies and tactics that deliver superior ROI. comScore services are used by more than 800 clients, including global leaders such as AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo!, BBC, Carat, Cyworld, Deutsche Bank, France Telecom, Best Buy, The Newspaper Association of America, Financial Times, ESPN, Fox Sports, Nestle, Starcom, Universal McCann, the United States Postal Service, Verizon, ViaMichelin, Merck and Expedia. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com.

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