The good news for ecommerce keeps coming: The U.S. Commerce Department just released its online spending estimate for 2012, and the headlines might as well read “Cha-Ching!”

According to the U.S. Commerce Department, via Internet Retailer, ecommerce sales hit $225.5 billion in 2012, up from the $194.7 billion spent online in 2011.

The almost 16% increase in ecommerce spending is right in line with most of the predictions for 2012 that came from major players like Forrester Research, eMarketer, and Miss Cleo (OK, OK, not that last one).

On the heels of the U.S. Commerce release came comScore’s “2013 U.S. Digital Future in Focus” report, which offers an in-depth look at how the digital marketplace is performing, including the tech trends every website should address now.

ComScore’s report found that transactions from smartphones and tablets accounted for 11% of ecommerce spending in 2012, a figure worth noting for retailers, as well as marketers in other industries, like travel and hospitality, financial, and technology services.

ComScore’s research is right in line with this Shop Until You Drop – or Until Your Boss Catches You infographic (also shown at the bottom of this post), which found ecommerce websites see a spike in website traffic from smartphones and tablets once employees clock out for the day.

And if you’d like to take a closer look at the impact of mobile and tablet on holiday spending specifically, be sure to check out the latest release of the Ecommerce Quarterly. The EQ4 2012 offers an in-depth look at the trends that shaped the 2012 holiday spending season, including an examination of conversions on Free Shipping Day and the soaring rate of mobile usage on Christmas Day.

Overall, across reports, the emerging trend is that of the always-engaged customer—who expects a seamless experience across devices, from desktop click to mobile conversion. As online sales continue to rise, the brands that don’t deliver that experience could be left raking in the fool’s gold.