After a strong November, the Jewelry/Luxury Goods/Accessories category demonstrated continued momentum, showing a 22 percent gain in unique visitors during December, comScore Media Metrix reported Tuesday. It was the second-largest growth category, according to the Reston, Va.-based firm.

Among jewelry/luxury sites, RedEnvelope.com achieved significant growth in December, drawing 2.4 million unique visitors, up 62 percent versus the prior month, according to the results. Consumers’ increased comfort in purchasing high-ticket items online this year also drove significant growth for online high-end retailers including Tiffany & Co. (2 million visitors, up 47 percent), Kay Jewelers (1 million visitors, up 63 percent), and BurberryUSAOnline.com (313,000 visitors, up 128 percent).

Traffic to shipping sites grew 31 percent over a year ago showing the largest growth of any category in December. Online music retail was third with a 22 percent increase in December.

“Consumers once again turned to the Internet in December to aid them in all aspects of their holiday celebrations,” said Peter Daboll, president and CEO of comScore Media Metrix. “From purchasing and shipping gifts, to sending holiday greetings and finding recipes for holiday meals, Americans utilized the Web to aid in their holiday planning and preparations.”

ComScore Media Metrix, a division of comScore Networks, provides Internet audience measurement services that report details of online media usage, visitor demographics, and online buying power for the home, work, and university audiences.

JCK