Let's E-Shop Until We DropLet's E-Shop Until We Drop

Overall, online consumer spending has recovered fairly well in the aftermath of Sept. 11, according to a recent survey from ComScore Networks. For the week ending Nov. 11, online sales reached $1 billion for the first time since the terrorist attacks. ComScore's survey was based on the online activity of more than 1.5 million Internet users and did not include auction sites such as eBay Inc.

Despite the overall improvement, certain product categories haven't been as fortunate. For example, computer software sales dropped 28%, compared with a five-month sales benchmark from April to August this year.

The outlook was more sanguine for apparel and accessories, which grew nearly 20%. Recent online sales results at Lands' End Inc. bear out the statistic. Third-quarter sales for Landsend.com reached $72 million, a 33% increase over the same quarter last year. "We did see a decrease the week of Sept. 11, but sales started to come back the following week," a Lands' End spokeswoman says. "We were affected, like every other company, but minimally."

Yankee Group analyst Paul Ritter says online sales for the fourth quarter should be up about 7% over the same quarter last year. He questions other projections for growth of upwards of 30% for online consumer spending. More people may opt to shop from home this year, but that won't be the driving force behind consumer spending patterns, he says: "You can't counteract shrinking consumer wallets."