Google’s Checkout and eBay’s PayPal unit are showing off their big holiday offers, designed to get you to use their services when making your holiday purchases online.

Holiday shoppers are increasingly looking to online ratings and reviews to make decisions about their offline purchases according to Bazaarvoice

Bazaarvoice data revealed an increase in ratings and review activity for the week of November 19-26,2007, with a peak on Thanksgiving evening as shoppers prepared for Black Friday. Bazaarvoice said it served 1,400 ratings and reviews per second at the peak, which took place at 9:25 pm EST on Thursday, November 22.

Despite a slow start in November, online US non-travel retail topped $7 billion for the first 18 days of the holiday season, an increase of $1 billion from the same period in 2006.

Have you heard of “Cyber Monday”? Boomers are a driving force in comparison shopping engines.

Why is this important? How is social media marketing an essential tool behind holiday gift buying? What type of revenue increase are e-commerce engines estimating within the holiday season? Some interesting questions not to say the least and valuable information for any e commerce owner. I have put together some interesting marketing charts and trend analysis for your viewing pleasure.

Although many shoppers will have less to spend during this holiday season, some of that money will find its way to online retailers.

Forrester has some great statistics related to the holiday season for online retailers:

U.S. online holiday retail sales will reach over $39 billion in 2007, an increase of 20 percent over last year’s holiday season, according to a JupiterResearch report "U.S. Online Retail Holiday Forecast, 2007."

Sears has launched an integrated marketing campaign around the return of the holiday Wish Book.