Holiday Sales for Online Shopping Exceed Expectations

Wall Street analysts and internet retailers are saying that online shopping sales in the U.S. have been growing at better-than-expected rates in the run-up to the holidays, according to the Financial Times.

Raul Vazquez, chief executive of Walmart.com, said the retailer had seen sales on the Friday after Thanksgiving holiday “exceed our expectations” of 40-60 per cent annual growth.

Ron LaPierre, president of PriceGrabber, a comparison shopping site, said sales through its site had been running “at or above expectations” so far.

Over the holiday weekend, sales had grown 45 per cent on last year, although the seasonal pick-up in demand had come later than last year.

More juicy numbers for affiliates and merchants at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0e348e28-9c55-11dc-bcd8-0000779fd2ac.html.