New e-commerce trends have shaped this holiday season, including the increasing importance of social networks, blogs, and user content; booming sales of luxury items; an extended shopping period; and the emergence of niche sellers.

By all accounts, sales growth has been strong. Excluding travel and auctions, consumers spent $21.7 billion at U.S. online stores between November 1 and December 20, a 26 percent increase over the same period last year, according to comScore Networks.

Even more significant, the spending increase between December 18 and December 20 was 35 percent, reversing a trend from past years when sales slowed down as Christmas Day approached. The change this year is due to retailers’ improved ability to ship items on time later in the season and to consumers’ willingness to pay extra for this convenience.

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