NEW YORK — Holiday shopping has given new meaning to the term “click and order.” In addition to a rise in the number of consumers and the average amount spent per buyer — beginning as early as Thanksgiving — overall increases in online spending were fueled by other factors such as a surge in mobile and tablet commerce transactions, luxury brands that typically don’t discount, tiered sale offerings that offer deeper discounts the more you spend and an upsurge in the use of social media platforms. For Cyber Monday specifically, industry experts projected record numbers, hopeful that retail activity for the day would surpass last year’s $1 billion in sales, the biggest day of online sales in e-commerce history — until Nov. 28, that is. The single day shattered records in the digital sphere, becoming the most aggressive day in online shopping ever. Spending totaled $1.25 billion — a 21.7 percent rise from last year, according to a report released by comScore last Tuesday. Transactions on digital mediums were expected to leap by 15 percent — and reports indicate that numbers surpassed industry estimates by nearly 50 percent. The day saw 10 million consumers shopping online, each of whom spent an average of $125. This is the second time online shopping has reached the $1 billion mark in a single day (the first was Cyber Monday in 2010). But the explosion in online sales didn’t come only on Cyber Monday. Black Friday raked in $816 million in online shopping, a 25.9 percent increase from the previous year, and Thanksgiving Day saw $479 million, an 17.7 percent increase from 2010. Consumers are also shopping on the go more than ever — while eating, commuting or at school (so much for listening to teachers). In a report released by comScore Monday, 38 percent of smartphone owners have used a mobile device to make a purchase at least once. For the month of September specifically, clothing and accessories were the second-most popular category for smartphone device transactions (behind digital goods), with 37 percent of mobile users purchasing these items directly from retailers. As for location, 56 percent of mobile shopping occurred while users were at home, 42 percent while out of home in places such as restaurants and school, 42 percent while at work and 37 percent during traveling or commuting. Read More http://www.wwd.com/retail-news/direct-internet-catalogue/mobile-tablets-lead-holiday-charge-5416559?module=today