Commentary
Thanksgiving Online for Researching Electronics, Buying Home Goods
- by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, November 30, 2004
Black Friday marks the beginning of the holiday shopping frenzy, as well as the period when retailers begin earning a profit on yearly sales. While this still holds true for offline retailing, online shopping visits reached a record high this year on Thanksgiving Day, with Black Friday coming second.
According to Hitwise, shopping and classifieds Web sites claimed 11.39 percent of all U.S. visits on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, 2004, breaking the high of 8.96 percent set on Thanksgiving Day, 2003. For the first time, U.S. visits to retail Web sites exceeded 10 percent of total Internet traffic.
"The revelation that Thanksgiving is the busiest day for visits to online shopping sites is a great example of how the Internet is changing not only retailing, but our personal lives," said Bill Tancer, Vice President of Research, Hitwise. "The data confirm that online shopping has significantly impacted a longstanding shopping tradition."
The market share of U.S. visits to the entire shopping category on Thanksgiving Day this year was up 27 percent versus Thanksgiving Day last year, and shopping visits on Black Friday were up 24 percent year-on-year.
"The dichotomy of visits to retail sites suggests that consumers are researching higher-ticket items on Thanksgiving before heading out to stores on Friday," said Tancer. "Conversely, non-tech items to dominate online shopping traffic on Black Friday."
Top Retail Subcategories by market share of U.S. Visits to
Shopping & Classifieds on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday 2004 versus 2003
| Share Thanksgiving Day 2004 | Share Black Friday 2004 | Chg Thanksgiving Day 04 vs. 03 | Chg Black Friday 04 vs. 03 | ||
| 1. | Auctions | 30.88% | 30.27% | + 3.91% | + 6.65% |
| 2. | Department Stores | 16.95% | 15.96% | + 17.48% | + 4.81% |
| 3. | Computers | 10.37% | 9.10% | - 2.85% | + 0.18% |
| 4. | Rewards and Directories | 9.66% | 10.79% | - 18.36% | - 16.53% |
| 5. | Appliances & Electronics | 8.49% | 7.37% | - 7.72% | - 7.22% |
| 6. | Video and Games | 7.53% | 6.50% | - 16.83% | - 17.73% |
| 7. | Apparel and Accessories | 5.34% | 5.86% | - 8.95% | - 6.61% |
| 8. | Books | 4.69% | 5.44% | - 15.26% | - 15.07% |
| 9. | House and Garden | 3.82% | 4.58% | + 8.28% | + 9.37% |
| 10. | Automotive | 3.58% | 3.22% | + 16.57% | + 21.40% |
| 11. | Toys and Hobbies | 3.10% | 3.27% | - 14.81% | - 8.37% |
| 12. | Sport and Fitness | 2.89% | 2.86% | - 1.73% | - 2.71% |
| 13. | Music | 2.26% | 2.22% | - 30.84% | - 31.00% |
| 14. | Classifieds | 1.79% | 1.94% | + 121.33% | + 124.87% |
| 15. | Flowers & Gifts | 1.55% | 1.29% | - 16.95% | - 12.32% |
| 16. | Office Supplies | 1.26% | 1.27% | - 4.02% | - 11.89% |
| 17. | Health and Beauty | 1.00% | 1.20% | - 7.49% | - 3.65% |
| 18. | Grocery and Alcohol | 0.47% | 0.50% | + 2.57% | + 8.76% |
Source: Hitwise U.S. Data
Top 15 Shopping & Classifieds Web Sites Ranked By Visits for Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday 2003
and 2004
Thanksgiving Day 04 vs. 03 Chg | Black Friday 04 vs.
03 Chg | ||
| 1. | eBay | + 6.72% | + 9.84% |
| 2. | Amazon.com | + 0.57% | - 6.64% |
| 3. | Walmart.com | + 9.22% | + 10.68% |
| 4. | BestBuy.com | - 8.29% | - 17.23% |
| 5. | Target | + 44.97% | +
13.97% |
| 6. | Dell USA | + 102.60% | + 78.86% |
| 7. | Circuit City | - 24.25% | -
14.11% |
| 8. | Sears | + 14.72% | + 10.10% |
| 9. | Yahoo! Shopping | - 29.78% | - 24.53% |
| 10. | BizRate.com | + 39.23% | + 26.27% |
Source: Hitwise U.S. Data
Jack Loechner is the Editor of The Center for Media Research's daily Research Brief. You can reach him at jack@mediapost.com.