comScore, Inc. 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.

"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.



"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."