SAN JOSE (dpa-AFX) - U.S. online retail spending for the first quarter of 2012 rose 17% year-over-year to $44.3 billion, according to estimates released by digital business analytics firm comScore, Inc. (SCOR) on Wednesday.
The growth rate represented the tenth consecutive quarter of positive year-over-year growth and sixth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth rates.
The top-performing online product categories were: Digital Content & Subscriptions, Computer Software, Consumer Electronics, Jewelry & Watches and Event Tickets.
According to comScore's first quarter retail survey, 38% of tablet owners have made a purchase on their devices within the past month. Apparel was the most popular category for purchase among tablet shoppers.
'The first quarter of this year was especially strong for retail e-commerce as we returned to year-over-year growth rates in the high teens, numbers we haven't seen since 2007,' said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni. 'While the economic recovery continues to be painfully slow, the channel shift to e-commerce appears to be accelerating.'
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