US retailers are banking on online sales to rescue Christmas after shoppers lapped up e-tail promotions over the critical Thanksgiving weekend last week.

Online sales rose 29 per cent against last year on Thanksgiving Day to US$272 million (£131.6 million) and 22 per cent to US$531 million (£256.9 million) the day after, which marks the beginning of the crucial festive sales period.

US retailers and analysts will have scrutinised Thanksgiving weekend sales for signs of positive momentum as the sector battles the housing slump and subsequent credit crisis.

Online shopping tracker Comscore forecast a single-day online sales record for last Monday. Spending was set to surpass US$700 million (£338.6 million) as people returned to work.

72 per cent of e-tailers offered promotions that day, which has been dubbed Cyber Monday, up from 42 per cent in 2005.

Shopper numbers for bricks-and-mortar stores on Black Friday – so-called because it is traditionally the day when retailers’ balance sheets turn positive – rose 4.8 per cent to 147 million against last year, according to the National Retail Federation. However, spending was down 3.5 per cent per person to total US$347.4 million (£168.1 million).

The NRF kept its growth rate forecast for the Christmas period at 4 per cent, which will take sales to US$474.5 billion (£229.55 billion) – the slowest rate for five years.

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