Reston's comScore Keeping Track

More than $15 billion has been spent online so far this holiday shopping season, including a record-breaking $1.25 billion on Nov. 28, known as “Cyber Monday.”  Those numbers are nationwide, but the company that crunches them is a local one.

comScore , a leader in measuring the digital marketplace, has offices around the globe, but is based in The company is busy all year round, reporting constantly on online sales, the number of people who use mobile devices, the number who use smartphones, and many other indicators of digital activity.

At this time of year, though, things are truly frenetic, as retailers, Wall Street and the media eagerly await numbers on how much holiday shopping we’re doing as we use our computers, tablets, and phones.

“A lot of people are paying attention,” says Irena Simakova, a senior director at comScore's Reston office. “Anyone who has any portion of online sales, as well as shipping companies, financial analysts, economists. This Cyber Monday was the largest online sales date ever, a 22-percent increase from a year ago.”

According to the daily tracking comScore does, the shopping season as a whole is also shaping up to be strong, Simakova says.

“Overall we are still on track for an increase of 15 percent over last year,” she says. “It can be an indicator of macro-economics. It may indicate consumer confidence, future consumer spending.’’

Another big day will be coming up in mid-December, Simakova says.  There comes a point, around Dec. 12, when people realize that time is now running very short and they must take some action. comScore and its clients will be watching closely to see if there is another burst of activity. If there is, that could be the final indicator of a highly successful season for online retailers.

Beyond just tracking overall sales, though, comScore delves deeply into specifics. It looks at the number of transactions, the average dollar amount each buyer spends, and what they purchase. This year, as expected, electronic sales are huge, with an emphasis on tablets, phones, and deeply-discounted TVs. But also very popular are sports and fitness equipment, jewelry, and apparel, indicating that fewer people feel the need to physically see and try on an item before buying it.

And then, Simakova says, comScore pays attention to the all-important for consumers.

“Free shipping,” she says. “That is pretty significant for people. We have done surveys in the past where people indicate they would almost abandon their shopping cart if they have to pay shipping. I think a lot more consumers are expecting it.”

ComScore has also found that free shipping is often worth it for retailers, too, Simakova says.

“People demand free shipping,” she says. “But then they end up buying more when they are getting free shipping. So they spend more.”