Consumers spent $35.3 billion at consumer ecommerce sites between Nov. 1 and Dec. 26, marking a 15% increase versus the corresponding days last year, online measurement firm ComScore reported today.
During the week of Dec. 18 to Dec. 24, consumers spent $2.8 billion at retail sites, with was a 16% rise vs. the corresponding year in 2010.
ComScore noted an increase in Christmas Day purchases of digital content and subscriptions, which includes downloads of music, TV, movies, e-books and apps. On average, that accounted for 2.8% of retail ecommerce sales. But on Christmas Day, it accounted for 20%.
It’s important to note what helped drive ecommerce during the 2011 holiday season.
According to digital marketing software firm Kenshoo, retailers saw total clicks and online revenue generated by search advertising increase 22% year-over-year for the season, and 24% year-over-year the week before Christmas.
For the holiday season, Kenshoo reports retail search advertising spend increased 30% year-over-year, while retail search advertising click-through-rate increased 28%.
Retail email marketing also rose the week of Christmas, according to email marketing firm Responsys. Tracking more than 100 of the top U.S. retailers, Responsys found that 69% sent at least one promotional email last week, and on average, each retailer sent 5.7 promotional emails. That volume was a 35% increase year-over-year, and up 15% compared to four weeks earlier.
Responsys noted that 74% of retailers sent at least one promotional email on Wednesday, Dec. 21. With express shipping deadlines, Wednesday was the most popular day to send retail emails last week.