Cyber Monday sales surpass $1 billion, setting online-shopping record

DETROIT — Cyber Monday sales jumped the $1 billion mark for the busiest online shopping day in history, according to comScore.

Sales on Monday rose 16 percent to $1.028 billion from $887 million on the same day in 2009, prompted by heavier promotions from retailers this year, said Gian Fulgoni, comScore chairman.

“So while we anticipate that there will be more
billion-dollar spending days ahead as we get deeper into the season,
only time will tell if overall consumer online spending remains at the
elevated levels we’ve seen thus far,” Fulgoni said.

The average buyer spent 12 percent more on Monday while the number of Cyber Monday shoppers grew by just 4 percent to 9 million.

The Monday after Thanksgiving was
dubbed Cyber Monday after retailers noticed spikes in their online
sales that day after people returned to work. And nearly half, or 49
percent of dollars spend online Monday were from work computers. That
is down by 3.8 percent from last year.

Sales from Nov. 1-29 were $13.5 billion, up 13 percent from $12 billion for the same period in 2009.

Retailers expect to report November sales Thursday.
Sales were up 3.5 percent at chain stores for the week that ended
Saturday, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.

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