Cyber Monday sales could top $700 million
Online spending today - Cyber Monday - could surpass $700 million, a record one-day amount, according to comScore Inc.
The Virginia company said it partly based its Cyber Monday estimate on spending patterns between Nov. 1 and Nov. 23; during that period, online shoppers shelled out $9.3 billion, or 17 percent more than they did during the comparable period last year.
Online retail spending last Friday - so-called Black Friday - was $531 million, up 22 percent from a year ago, comScore reported.
"Based on the growth rates we've seen so far this season and historical consumer behavior patterns, we would expect Cyber Monday sales to be even stronger than Black Friday's and to exceed $700 million," comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni said in a statement. "While this would make it the heaviest online shopping day on record, we can expect to see even stronger days ahead as the 2007 shopping season progresses into December."
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)
