eMarketer forecasts that after two years of subpar growth, 2010 US retail e-commerce sales (excluding travel) will climb by 12.7% on volume of $152 billion.

This follows the US Census Bureau’s release showing that online sales in Q4 2009 grew by 14.6% over a year earlier, the biggest gain in eight quarters.

Online sales growth outperforms total retail growth because shoppers are moving more of their purchases from stores to the Web to take advantage of lower prices, convenience and selection.

This too will be a positive development after sales plummeted by 6.7% in 2009. Together, online retail and online travel will equal $244.6 billion in 2010 and grow at a 9% compound annual rate from 2009 to 2014.

Online travel sales will total $92.5 billion in 2010, a 4.6% annual increase.

This year, 162 million people in the US will research products online, and much of this research will lead to in-store purchases. Over 82% of online researchers, or 133 million people, will be online buyers. The percent of online buyers will rise as young Internet users, predisposed to e-commerce, replace older users.

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