• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, May 11, 2004

Comparison Shopping to Pick Best Product, Best Price

Nielsen//NetRatings reports that traffic to shopping directories and guides sites jumped during the week ending May 2, as nearly 13 million Mother's Day shoppers logged online to comparison shop, an eight percent week over week increase.

"The strong performance of comparison shopping sites during the last six months provides yet one more indication of how search technology has gone mainstream," said Leslie Marable, senior analyst, Nielsen//NetRatings. "Comparison shopping sites address shoppers' needs to find the perfect Mother's Day gift at the best price."

Fastest Growing Shopping Directories and Guides, Week Ending May 2 (U.S., Home)

	Unique Audience (000) 5/2/2004	Unique Audience (000) 4/26/2004	% Growth
1. AOL Shopping	1374	718	91%
2. Froogle	613	340	80%
3. MSN Shopping	901	668	35%
4. MySimon	311	274	14%
5. Quixtar	285	263	8%

Nielsen//NetRatings, May 2004

TheSmokingGun.com skyrocketed 121 percent to 959,000 unique visitors at work, during the week ending May 2. Office workers read up on the "Friends" sexual harassment lawsuit that was reinstated by a California appeals court. More than 36 percent of the site's visitors viewed pages featuring a copy of the plaintiff's court filing.

NPS.gov jumped 38 percent at home, during the week ending May 2, as surfers plan summer trips to national parks. The site attracted 484,000 unique visitors with nearly ten percent visiting the Mammoth Cave page. Future park visitors can find information on park fees and schedules, tours, weather, lodging and nearby attractions for all national parks.