Online Spending Reaches 6% Of Total Retail SalesOnline Spending Reaches 6% Of Total Retail Sales

Online buying accounted for 6 percent of all consumer retail spending last year, making it an important metric in determining trends in consumer spending, a research firm said.

Consumer spending on the Internet last year, including travel, reached $143.2 billion, up 22 percent over the $117.2 billion spent in 2004, ComScore Networks said. Excluding sales of autos, gasoline and food, online spending on non-travel items accounted for about 6 percent of total retail spending.

Shoppers spent a total of $82.3 billion online last year on non-travel items, a 24 percent increase over the $66.5 billion spent in 2004. Spending on travel rose by 20 percent to $60.9 billion from $50.7 billion.

The 24 percent increase amounted to more than a full percentage point of total retail expenditures, "clearly showing that the traditional metric -- retail same-store sales -- alone is no longer sufficient to paint an accurate picture of trends of consumer spending," Gian Fulgoni, chairman of ComScore, said in a statement released Wednesday.

Apparel and accessories tied with computer software, excluding PC games, as one of the fastest growing product categories, with consumer spending 36 percent more than in 2004. Other fast growing categories included home and garden and toys and hobbies, both 32 percent; jewelry and watches, 27 percent; event tickets, 26 percent; furniture, 24 percent; and flowers, greetings and gifts, 23 percent.

Market researcher EMarketer on Thursday estimated that online sales for 2005 increased by 25 percent over 2004, crediting the rise to its popularity among baby boomers and young shoppers, and the increase in the use of broadband in U.S. homes.

EMarketer estimates that in 2005, 60 percent of Internet users went online via a high-speed connection, and predicted that number would increase to 83 percent by 2008.

"It's obvious that the continued spread of broadband Internet access is having a great impact in driving the growth of online shopping in the U.S.," EMarketer analyst Jeffrey Grau said in a statement.

For the holiday shopping season, sales grew 25 percent to $19.6 billion from $15.7 billion in 2004, said ComScore, which defines the season as Nov. 1 through Dec. 31.