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US Online Retail Recap

Despite looming fears about the economy, online traffic to retail websites grew during the 2007 holiday season, Hitwise https://www.hitwise.com reports. The total market share of U.S. visits to the Hitwise Retail Index increased 17 percent between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day in 2007 compared to 2006, according to findings included in the Hitwise U.S. Holiday 2007 Retail Recap Report.

The report also examines the online activity on specific days, such as Thanksgiving and Black Friday, where the highest market share of U.S. visits to the Hitwise Retail Index occurred. In 2007, online traffic to retail websites increased by 20 percent on Thanksgiving Day and 16 percent on Black Friday as compared to 2006. This represents a holiday retail traffic pattern demonstrated over the past four years.

"Each year the holiday shopping season represents an important customer acquisition opportunity for the majority of retailers, both online and off," said Heather Dougherty, research director, Hitwise.

"The double-digit growth rates in online traffic during the holidays have continued to garner significant attention from retailers, driving marketing dollars to the channel. Competitive intelligence becomes increasingly important during this critical period to understand what strategies have worked in the past."

The Hitwise Retail Recap Report also reveals 2007 highlights and tips for 2008, including:
  • Trends in visits to the Hitwise Retail Index and categories like Black Friday websites.
  • The most popular product and gift card searches.
  • The top sources of traffic to retail sites, including Social Networking sites.
  • Tips for preparing for next season, like predictions for Cyber Monday and insights into Black Friday and comparison shopping sites.
Top 10 Websites in the Hitwise Retail Index

by Market Share of U.S. Internet Visits

- December 2007







Hitwise is a leading online competitive intelligence service. An Experian company, Hitwise was founded in February 1997 as a solution to a new problem – only the large websites, such as Yahoo!, MSN and Amazon were being monitored comparatively, and data on websites with a more limited reach, such as Colgate, Nissan, and L’Oreal – was not available. To download a copy of the Hitwise U.S. Holiday Retail Recap Research report, please visit: HitWise Retail Data.


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