Online retail spending totaled $81.6 billion for all of 2005, up 24 percent from $65.8 billion in 2004, reports InternetRetailer, citing comScore figures. Sales in the last week of the year reached $1.54 billion, 21 percent more than the $1.28 billion in the corresponding week a year earlier. Online travel sales for the week ended Jan. 1 reached $820 million, up 22 percent from $672 million a year earlier.In 2005, for the first time, there were no weeks in which online sales fell below $1 billion.

Also for the first time, the $3 billion weekly mark was reached - twice (weeks ended Dec. 11 and Dec. 18) - in 2005; the corresponding weeks in 2004 were also the peaks for that year. The weeks with the lowest sales were those ended July 10, July 3, and May 29 - again, the same weeks with the yearly lows in 2004.

According to initial comScore numbers, online sales in the the new year are strong. Jan. 1-20, online sales were up 33 percent, to $5.5 billion, from $4.1 billion in the corresponding weeks of 2005, and online travel spending was up 8 percent, to $3.4 billion from $3.2 billion.