US shoppers plan 44% of buying online

New York

US consumers may do more of their spending online than ever before this holiday season, adding pressure on shopping malls already struggling to lure traffic.

Forty-four per cent of the average consumer's shopping will be on the Web, compared with about 40 per cent last year, according to a survey released on Thursday by the National Retail Federation. That proportion, which includes browsing sessions where shoppers don't make a purchase, is the highest since at least 2006, when the NRF first asked the question.