Online sales continue upward trend, but at slower rate, comScore reports

Online retail sales for the week ending July 14 were up 12% over the same week a year earlier and 5% over the average of the previous three weeks, comScore Media Metrix reported today. Online consumers bought $707 million of retail goods that week.

While 12% growth over year-earlier numbers is strong growth, online sales in the first half were up 29% over the first half of last year, comScore reports.

Travel spending for the week was up 37% over the same week a year ago and 12% over the average for the three weeks preceding the week, at$645 million.

ComScore notes that back-to-school shopping is driving sales at some sites, including OfficeDepot.com, where daily visits grew 93% from the average of the prior three weeks to 466,000; LLBean.com, where traffice was up 40% to 91,000; CompUSA, up 38% to 100,000; and Macys.com, up 11% to 85,000.

Top category gainers included a number of retail categories. Biggest boosts were at jewelry/luxury goods sites, which recorded 380,000 visitors, an increase of 54.5% from the week before. Numbers 2, 3 and 4 gainers were sports/outdoor gear, 618,000, up 53.3%; music, 2.05 million, up 49.2%; movies, 1.57 million, up 40.9%. Number 8 gainer was consumer goods, 1.14 million visitors, up 23.5%.