Retailers already had a good idea that the amount of money spent shopping online in the fourth quarter of 2011 was up significantly compared to the previous year – comScore reported shortly after the beginning of the new year that Americans spent more than $34 million buying goods through the web in November and December.

The digital measurement firm recently released a new study which gives a clearer picture of total online expenditures. ComScore found that $49.6 billion was spent shopping online during the fourth quarter of 2011, marking yet another double-digit quarter-over-quarter spending increase. For 2011 as a whole, more than $161.5 billion was spent online.

"The fourth quarter of 2011 capped off what was yet another strong year for online retail, one in which every quarter achieved double-digit increases versus the prior year," said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni. "In the face of continuing uncertainty regarding the U.S. economy, consumers increasingly went online for their shopping needs."

ComScore's report further highlights the need to have at least a basic ecommerce platform in place, whether it's a full-blown online store or a simple merchant portal on Facebook.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Thursday, February 9th, 2012 at 2:51 am .