Holiday shoppers spending more online than in-store

The latest Compete Holiday Insights survey shows that in recent weeks more money was spent online by holiday shoppers than in-store.

As of Sunday, November 7, almost two-thirds of respondents to Compete's survey had begun their holiday shopping and 14% had made more than half of their intended purchases.

Many are going online to do their holiday shopping and, for the first time since the beginning of October, more money was spent on holiday items online than in-store.

On average, in the week to November 7, consumers spent $185 online, up 30% from 2 weeks prior, whereas offline spend averaged $175, down 32% from 2 weeks prior.

While increased shopping across all product categories was apparent, the largest increases were in clothing and shoes, toys and games, and movies and video Games.

Other recent data from Compete indicates that holiday shoppers are turning to the Internet for upcoming Black Friday deals. While traffic to Black Friday websites has already exceeded 2008 levels, there is some way to go before it tips those of 2009.