Holiday online sales surge to $21.6B

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Online shopping got a big late-season surge as many more holiday procrastinators turned to the Internet to wrap up their gift buying, according to the latest report from market research firm ComScore Networks.

During the first 50 days of the season, total online retail spending, excluding travel-related purchases, reached $21.68 billion, up 26 percent from a year earlier, the firm said.

ComScore said the popular gift categories that shoppers were targeting online included jewelry and watches, videogame consoles, electronics, event tickets and toys.

On Dec. 11, consumers set a single-day record of $661 million for online spending. Two days later, that record was broken as consumers spent $667 million online.

As a result, the firm revised its online holiday sales forecast higher to $24.6 billion, or an increase of 25 percent over the same period last year. ComScore initially had expected holiday sales on the Internet to grow 24 percent to $24.3 billion.

"The strategy of luring holiday shopping procrastinators with extended shipping guarantees paid off handsomely for online retailers," Gian Fulgoni, chairman of ComScore, said in a statement.

"That we are seeing above-average growth rates this late in the holiday season is clear evidence that consumers have strong faith in the ability of online retailers to 'deliver the goods,'" he said.

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