Through the first 18 days of the 2012 holiday shopping season, online sales have risen 16%, from $8.77 billion last year to $10.14 billion this year according to the latest data from comScore Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR). The research firm estimates that total 2012 holiday online shopping will reach $43.4 billion this year, up 17% from last year’s total of $37.2 billion.

comScore’s chairman noted:

Recent 5-year highs in consumer confidence and early retailer promotions appear to be serving as wind in the sails for the beginning portion of the holiday season, with consumers opening up their wallets early and often. This spending growth also reflects the continuing channel shift to online as consumers increasingly opt for the attractive pricing, convenience and product selection it offers.

Earlier this week we noted that Adobe Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) expects online shoppers to spend $2 billion on Cyber Monday alone, an 18% jump over last year’s spending on what has become the busiest online shopping day of the year.

Paul Ausick

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