A post-holiday online retailing survey by Ernst & Young found that 26 percent of those polled made an online purchase during the holidays.

The survey, which polled 1,283 Internet users, also found that while the sites most-visited by Internet shoppers are consistent with previous findings, a different set of winners is revealed when reviewing the average dollar amount spent at these sites. For example, Amazon.com was the No. 1 shopping destination for 42 percent of online shoppers during the 1999 holiday season, followed by eToys.com (20 percent), Toys R Us (19 percent), Barnesandnoble.com (17 percent), and Buy.com (16 percent). The top sites by average dollar amount spent are Best Buy ($233), Egghead.com ($217), 1800flowers.com ($173), Disney ($172), and Walmart ($167). Ernst & Young_s survey found that, on average, online shoppers spent $1,225 on Internet purchases during the last 12 months, with 60 percent spending at least $500. Most (87 percent) said the total dollar amount they spent increased over the previous 12 months in online purchases. According to Web measurement firm Media Metrix, the number of visitors to e-commerce sites was highest the second week of December (week ending 12/12/99). E-commerce traffic increased 27 percent during Christmas week (week ending 12/26/99) compared to the same week last year (week ending 12/27/98). Top unique visitor growth categories included greeting cards and gaming sites, which increased significantly during Christmas week.