New York

A SURGE in online sales this holiday season is boosting expenses for some retailers as more shoppers return merchandise purchased with the click of a mouse. Consumers are expected to return US$62 billion in goods bought between November and December, up 8 per cent from the same period last year, with about a third of those items purchased online, according to retail-research firm Customer Growth Partners.

Online sales increased 20 per cent this holiday season, figures from MasterCard Advisors show.