Americans jumped on deals and promotions offered online on Cyber Monday, spending $1 billion and making it the busiest online shopping day ever, according to new data. Research firm comScore says revenue rose 16% over a year ago to $1.03 billion on the Monday after Thanksgiving, the first one-day spending total above $1 billion ever.
Still, analysts cautioned that better results in stores and online during the busy Thanksgiving weekend don't necessarily mean the whole holiday period will be strong. Shoppers might have just been lured by discounts, pulling forward sales from December. A better picture will emerge tomorrow, when the nation's retailers release revenue figures for the month. (More Cyber Monday stories.)