Online holiday spending declined 3 percent compared with last year"s online shopping season, the first negative growth rate in the past eight years, according to a ComScore report released Tuesday.
Between November 1 and December 23, U.S. online merchants recorded $25.5 billion in sales, down from $26.3 billion during the same period last year, ComScore reported. Gian Fulgoni, the research firm"s chairman, blamed economic pessimism for the poor results.
The combination of having five fewer shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas and the severe economic headwinds faced by consumers has made this a really tough season for retailers, both offline and online.