Business

Oho ho ho! Web sales expected to grow 17%

US online holiday sales are already on the rise, and are expected to grow 17 percent from last year to $43.4 billion, a new forecast said last week.

The report from the research firm comScore showed retail e-commerce spending for the first 18 days of November-December holiday season were up 16 percent to $10.1 billion.

“Recent five-year highs in consumer confidence and early retailer promotions appear to be serving as wind in the sails for the beginning portion of the holiday season, with consumers opening up their wallets early and often,” said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni.

The comScore forecast of a 17 percent gain would outpace last season’s 15 percent increase and would be well ahead of the retail industry’s expectation for a 4.1 percent increase in consumers’ overall spending this holiday season.