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In the third quarter of 2007, U.S retail e-commerce transactions rose by 23 percent to US$28.44 billion from US$23.05 billion in the same period last year, according to ComScore. The U.S.-based consultancy says its figures exclude online auctions, travel purchases, and large corporate purchases.

"U.S. online retail spending continues to grow at rates in excess of 20 percent year-on-year, which suggests that the market is still far from maturity," says Gian Fulgoni, ComScore chairman,. "Even online travel commerce, which is a more developed market, continues to experience double-digit gains."

According to ComScore, online travel purchases rose by 11 percent to US$20.15 billion in the third quarter of 2007 from US$18.24 billion in the same period last year.

For the first nine months of 2007, U.S. retail e-commerce spending totaled US$83.59 billion, while online travel purchases were worth US$59.74 billion. Retail e-commerce spending was up by 21 percent compared to the first nine months of 2006, while online travel spending was up by 13 percent, ComScore says.

Source: www.comscore.com