Many online merchants consider this holiday season’s 3 percent sales decline a disaster.
But think of the alternative: selling a real-world store, where sales were more troubling in many consumer categories.
For instance, sales of apparel and accessories were up 4 percent online, but down 19 to 21 percent when brick-and-mortar sales are added in, according to comScore.
Consumer electronics sales suffered a disappointing 5 percent decline online, but that compares to a 26 percent decline for electronics and appliances overall.
Online sales of jewelry and watches were off 24 percent, but the overall category of luxury goods, including them, was down 34 percent.
When the economy rebounds, online sales a set to benefit, comScore said.
Here is a list of the top selling categories online this year:
Sales growth varied by category
