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Record $1.25 billion spent online on historic Cyber Monday

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 7:37PM EST
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U.S. consumers spent a record $1.25 billion online on Cyber Monday, the second time the U.S. has ever spent more than $1 billion online in a single day and a 22% increase from the amount spent last year. “While last year saw Cyber Monday rank as the heaviest online spending day of the year for the first time ever, it will be interesting to watch the next couple of weeks to see if any future individual days in 2011 manage to leapfrog this year’s highest day-to-date,” comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni said. 50.2% the money spent on Cyber Monday originated from a work computer, comScore noted. 43.2% of the Cyber Monday spending was attributed to users buying goods from home and U.S. consumers abroad spent 6.6% of the overall Cyber Monday total. ComScore’s study also found that $15 billion has been spent online for the holiday-season-to-date, a 15% increase from the same time period last year. In comparison to Cyber Monday, $479 million was spent online on Thanksgiving Day, $816 million was spent on Black Friday and just over $1 billion was spent during the holiday weekend. ComScore’s full press release follows after the break.

Cyber Monday Spending Hits $1.25 Billion to Rank as Heaviest U.S. Online Spending Day in History
Cyber Monday 2011 Marks 2nd Billion Dollar Spending Day on Record, Eclipsing Cyber Monday 2010

RESTON, VA, November 29, 2011– comScore (NASDAQ : SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today reported holiday season U.S. retail e-commerce spending for the first 28 days of the November – December 2011 holiday season. For the holiday season-to-date, $15 billion has been spent online, marking a 15-percent increase versus the corresponding days last year. Cyber Monday reached $1.25 billion in online spending, up 22 percent versus year ago, representing the heaviest online spending day in history and the second day on record to surpass the billion-dollar threshold.

2011 Holiday Season To Date vs. Corresponding Days* in 2010
Non-Travel (Retail) Spending
Excludes Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases
Total U.S. – Home & Work Locations
Source: comScore, Inc.
Millions ($)
2010 2011 Percent Change
November 1 – 28 $13,008 $15,020 15%
Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 24) $407 $479 18%
Black Friday (Nov. 25) $648 $816 26%
Weekend (Nov. 26-27) $886 $1,031 16%
Cyber Monday (Nov. 28) $1,028 $1,251 22%

*Corresponding days based on corresponding shopping days (November 2 thru November 29, 2010)

“Cyber Monday was yet another historic day for e-commerce, with online spending reaching a record $1.25 billion,” said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni. “It was just the second billion dollar spending day on record, following on the heels of Cyber Monday 2010. While last year saw Cyber Monday rank as the heaviest online spending day of the year for the first time ever, it will be interesting to watch the next couple of weeks to see if any future individual days in 2011 manage to leapfrog this year’s highest day-to-date.”

Cyber Monday Sales Growth Driven by both Buyers and Spending per Buyer

Cyber Monday’s 22-percent growth in sales versus year ago was driven by an increase in both the number of buyers (up 11 percent) and the average spending per buyer (up 9 percent). Overall, 10 million people bought online on Cyber Monday, representing the first time on record that threshold has been reached in a single day. The average online buyer conducted 1.9 online transactions on Cyber Monday for a total of nearly $125 in spending.

Breakdown of Cyber Monday Spending Growth
Cyber Monday 2011 vs. Cyber Monday 2010
Total U.S. – Home & Work Locations
Source: comScore, Inc.
Cyber Monday 2010 Cyber Monday 2011 Percent Change
Dollar Sales ($ Millions) $1,028 $1,251 22%
Buyers (Millions) 9.0 10.0 11%
Dollars per Buyer $114.24 $124.82 9%
Dollars per Transaction $60.05 $66.97 12%
Transactions (Millions) 17.1 18.7 9%
Transactions per Buyer 1.90 1.86 -2%

Shopping at Work Accounts for 50 Percent of Cyber Monday Spending

Half of dollars spent online at U.S. Web sites originated from work computers, up slightly from last year. Buying from home comprised the majority of the remaining share (43.2 percent) while buying at U.S. Web sites from international locations accounted for 6.6 percent of sales.

Breakdown of Cyber Monday Spending Growth by Location
Cyber Monday 2011 vs. Cyber Monday 2010
Total U.S. – Home & Work Locations
Source: comScore, Inc.
Cyber Monday 2010 Cyber Monday 2011 Point Change
Home (incl. University) 45.0% 43.2% -1.8
Work 49.2% 50.2% +1.0
International 5.8% 6.6% +0.8
Total 100.0% 100.0% N/A

“The Cyber Monday phenomenon originated from the significant spike in e-commerce activity that traditionally occurred following the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, with many consumers turning to their work computers to continue their holiday gift buying – and that pattern still exists today,” added Mr. Fulgoni. “Looking forward to the balance of the season, it will be very important to continue to monitor the trend in consumer spending to determine the degree to which retailers’ heavy promotional activity at the beginning of the shopping season, and consumers’ encouraging response, has pulled forward consumers’ future buying. When all is said and done, it will also be vital to see whether retailers’ deals and price discounting, which consumers are now able to discover via so many different digital media channels, will have a negative impact on retailers’ margins this holiday season.”