comScore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR), a compagny specialized in measuring the digital world, released retail e-commerce data for April 2008, which showed that the year-over-year growth rate rebounded to 15 percent, following an increase of just 9 percent in March. comScore data showed $32.8 billion in online retail spending for Q1 2008 (including auction fees and autos but excluding event tickets, in accordance with the U.S. Department of Commerce definition of e-commerce), approximately one month prior to the U.S. Department of Commerce publishing its estimate of $32.4 billion.

"While the e-commerce growth rates in 2008 are softer than what we saw last year, it’s encouraging that April’s growth rate represented an increase from what was obviously a soft March for online consumer spending," said comScore Chairman Gian Fulgoni. "One hopes that April will emerge as the beginning of a turnaround in the consumer economy and that spending will continue to accelerate as we move through the year and as the impact of the government’s economic stimulus tax rebate program begins to be felt."

comScore’s data has exhibited remarkable consistency with the U.S. Department of Commerce estimates during the past seven years. Dating back to Q1 2001, the past 29 quarters of comScore’s e-commerce estimates have accurately predicted the Department of Commerce data within an average margin of variation of less than 3 percent.

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