Online spending stays strong, up 31% in 2006`s week 3

Consumer online retail spending growth continued its hot growth during the third week in January, when online sales were up 31% over the corresponding week a year ago, comScore Networks Inc. reports. Sales reached $1.82 billion for the week ending Jan. 22 from $1.38 billion a year earlier. Online sales the previous week were up 33% over the corresponding week a year earlier, and 35% the week before that, comScore reported.

Guide to Retail Web Site Design & Usability

By comparison, ShopperTrak’s National Retail Sales Estimate reports that total retail sales grew 10.4% for the week ending Jan. 21 compared to the comparable week a year ago. ShopperTrak says the strong growth reflected a week of weak sales a year when a blizzard hits parts of the Midwest and the Northeast.

Online travel sales for the week ending Jan. 22 reached $1.13 billion, up 12% from $1 billion in the corresponding week a year ago, comScore reports.

ComScore executive John Miniati, is speaking at the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition June 5-7 in Chicago on Who`s Online and How Do You Reach Them?