comScore: Holiday spend up 16% YoY

"The study also found the using specific product claims was most helpful to consumers.

"Shoppers are increasingly engaging with their favorite brands digitally, and we're finding that video can have a very powerful effect on how others perceive the brand or product," said Jessica Thorpe, Vice President of Marketing at EXPO. "This research confirms that consumers are more receptive to the opinions of people who appear to be just like them than to more traditional marketing strategies, therefore it's a growing imperative for brands and manufacturers to leverage their customers' stories to tell their messages effectively."

Meanwhile, comScore is reporting that shoppers have pushed spending 16% higher over the 2012 holiday season. Free Shipping Monday (December 17) found shoppers spend just over $1 billion online, leading the week to a $3.686 billion total.

"Free Shipping Day kicked off the final week before Christmas on a strong note with $1.01 billion in spending," said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni. "It was the opening to an exceptionally strong week, which saw spending grow by 53 percent. We typically do not see such heavy spending this late in the season, but the fact that Free Shipping Day occurred on a Monday, combined with the fact that so many retailers extended their promotions into the middle of the week -- with guaranteed shipping by Christmas -- helped deliver an encouraging late-season surge. The result has been a significant uptick in the season-to-date growth rate, which now stands at 16 percent."

From November 1 through December 21, shoppers surpassed the $1 billion per day spending mark on ten different occasions, with Cyber Monday topping the list ($1.465 billion spent online).

Tags: 2012 holiday shopping, 2012 holiday trends, comScore, ecommerce, ecommerce trends, EXPO, UGC reviews