Americans continue to spend more of their cash online this holiday season, with comScore reporting that online spending is up 16 percent so far this holiday season. One of the reasons for the surge was a big uptick in last-minute shopping, propelled by free shipping promotions by online retailers.

That included what is being dubbed as “Free Shipping Day,” which took place on December 17th this year.

“Free Shipping Day kicked off the final week before Christmas on a strong note with $1.01 billion in spending,” said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni in a press release. “It was the opening to an exceptionally strong week, which saw spending grow by 53 percent. We typically do not see such heavy spending this late in the season, but the fact that Free Shipping Day occurred on a Monday, combined with the fact that so many retailers extended their promotions into the middle of the week — with guaranteed shipping by Christmas — helped deliver an encouraging late-season surge.”

Like what you're reading? Subscribe to GeekWire's free newsletters to catch every headline

Job Listings on GeekWork

Find more jobs on GeekWork. Employers, post a job here.