In a sobering reminder of what’s to come for Australian bricks and mortar retailers new research shows that the top 25 US e-tailers accounted for 68.4 percent of all dollars spent online during the fourth quarter, up 5.6 percentage points from the prior year. Total purchases online for the period were $43.4 Billion. Sales from Australia grew 26%.

In a sobering reminder of what’s to come for Australian bricks and mortar retailers new research shows that the top 25 US e-tailers accounted for 68.4 percent of all dollars spent online during the fourth quarter, up 5.6 percentage points from the prior year. Total purchases online for the period were $43.4 Billion. Sales from Australia grew 26%.

ComScore also said that 84 percent of U.S. Internet users conducted an online transaction during the Xmas New Year period, up from 78 percent in 2009.

CE and PC categories which are #1 and #2 reported an 11 percent surge in online sales.

According to online research firm ComScore, the growth rate represented the fifth consecutive quarter of positive year-over-year increases for e-tail and the second quarter of double-digit gains in 2010.

In Australia CE and PC retailers with the exception of JB Hi Fi are struggling to deliver an online transaction site with consumers now turning to US & European sites to buy PC and CE goods. Yesterday JB Hi Fi reported a 35% increase in online sales during the past quarter.

Top-performing categories included computer software (excluding PC games), CE, and computers/peripherals/PDAs, each of which grew at least 15 percent year over year.

The average buyer spent about the same amount online during the quarter as they did during the prior-year period ComScore said.