The big story from the holiday season is the big gains the online sites of brick-and-mortar giants, according to a comScore survey of retail spending. Amazon still had the most sales in dollars, but brick-and-mortars are making a strong charge.

An analysis of leading retailers by percentage increase in sales from 2005 to 2006 found that consumer electronics retailer Bestbuy.com achieved the greatest gains, followed by Walmart.com and Ticketmaster.com, with each of these three sites experiencing gains in excess of 50 percent.

Another point from the press release is that on Dec. 23rd online retail sales for the year surpassed the $100 billion mark for the first time.

That online retail consumer spending for the year-to-date has surpassed the $100 billion mark is a testament to the continued growth and strength of the online marketplace,” continued Mr. Fulgoni. “Retail e-commerce now accounts for approximately 7 percent of consumers’ U.S. retail spending (excluding gas, autos and food), making it an important component of the total U.S. economy.”

Fulgoni is the chairman of comScore Networks and his point is a great one. eCommerce is now firmly entrenched in the psyche of American consumers and cannot be denied as an integral part of the economy.