Net Spending Jumps in Feb.

Online spending in the U.S. surged 42% in February to $3.36 billion from $2.36 billion a year earlier as more consumers turned to the Internet to shop, a survey said. Sales gains of higher-priced items such as airline tickets and consumer electronics more than offset declines in books, videos and software, according to the National Retail Federation/Forrester online retail index. The number of households making Web purchases rose 7.6% to 13.5 million, it said. The survey, based on a poll of 5,000 consumers by research company Greenfield Online Inc., found that the average amount spent per buyer in February was $247.89, up from $187.20 in the same month a year ago.