After brisk online sales on Thanksgiving and through the weekend, retailers plan stepped-up Web-only promotions today — known as Cyber Monday — for the expected flood of shoppers back at work or their home computers after the holiday.

Nearly 107 million people will shop online today, up from 96.5 million last year, the National Retail Federation (NRF) says. About 90% of online retailers will have Cyber Monday promotions today vs. about 72% in 2007. Marketing research firm ComScore estimates online holiday sales will finish the season up 11%, compared with just 4% growth in 2009.

Thanksgiving Day sales online were up 33% over last year, according to IBM’s Coremetrics. The total price of the average online order Thanksgiving through Saturday was up 14% from 2009, says tracker Coremetrics.

Meanwhile, growth for sales in stores from the day after Thanksgiving — known as Black Friday for the day of the year retailers’ results historically turn to profits — through the weekend was up only modestly from 2009.

But the combined results suggested the economy is looking up and gave retailers hope for the season. NRF said Sunday that online and in-store sales Thursday to Sunday showed a combined growth of 6% over last year. Retailers “don’t care how you shop, they just want you to shop with them,” says NRF spokesman Scott Krugman.

The online growth, however, is considered a particularly positive indicator. While online retailing still is just 7% of overall sales, it also influences about 20% of all in-store purchases, says NRF.

Also, a retailer’s online sales don’t necessarily come at the expense of in-store traffic. Toys R Us CEO Jerry Storch says the retailer had a surge in online traffic on Thanksgiving for deals timed to coincide with the 10 p.m. opening of its stores, and also had longer lines this year at the stores.

“People enjoy shopping in physical stores,” Storch says. “Shopping will continue to be this nation’s highest form of entertainment.”

Online sales also tend to draw a different group, says Internet commerce expert Fiona Dias — shoppers who tend to be younger, more affluent and more pressed for time.

“By offering both online specials and store specials, retailers increase their sales by selling to customers the way they want to shop,” she says.

NRF, meanwhile, warned that too much should not be made of the sales results for the post-Thanksgiving weekend, noting that 2008 had a great first weekend and finished as one of the worst holiday seasons on record.

“A good Black Friday weekend doesn’t always mean a better-than-expected holiday season,” says NRF’s Ellen Davis. “In a better economy, people think they might just as well sleep in.”

(Source: USA Today)