NIELSEN//NETRATINGS HOLIDAY E-COMMERCE INDEX
JUMPS 30% DURING THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY 

Toys, Cybermalls, Electronics and Gift Categories See Spikes

NEW YORK – November 30, 1999 – The Nielsen//NetRatings Holiday E-Commerce Index revealed large increases in visitors to online shopping sites over the Thanksgiving holiday from Wednesday, November 24 through Sunday, November 28. Buoyed by media hype surrounding the online holiday season, Web consumers flocked to toy sites, online malls, electronics stores and gift centers to create and fulfill wish lists.

The Nielsen//NetRatings Index suggests that wired U.S. consumers are more receptive than ever to online shopping, going to the Web for its convenience, selection and bargains. One big winner during the Thanksgiving break was online toy stores, with an 86 percent increase in traffic from November 24 to November 28 (see Table 1). eToys was the winner in the head-to-head battle between the online retailer and its prime competitor Toys ‘R’ Us.

Other hot categories during the Thanksgiving holiday included gifts, online malls and electronics.

"Shoppers are crowding online sites earlier this year against the fear that selection might not hold through the upcoming weeks," said Allen Weiner, vice president of analytical services at NetRatings. "Cybershoppers are allowing extra time in case the virtual lines are too long at some of the more popular sites. Given that Web consumers are shopping early and often, the online shopping season will end somewhere from five days to a week before Christmas Day."

Table 1
Nielsen//NetRatings Holiday E-Commerce Index, Unique Audience by Category

Category	Wed., 24-Nov	Fri., 26-Nov	Sun., 28-Nov	% Increase from Nov. 24-28
Comparison	51,730	98,917	122,861	137.5%
Toys	400,323	732,363	743,155	85.6%
Apparel	148,422	235,220	262,940	77.2%
Malls	258,184	408,513	455,139	76.3%
Gifts	59,187	86,235	88,281	49.2%
Electronics	101,562	167,144	148,472	46.2%
Books/Music/Video	1,052,446	1,340,488	1,485,842	41.2%
Computer Hardware	172,852	207,823	217,169	25.6%
Auctions	1,396,860	1,410,719	1,578,800	13.0%
Software	533,833	532,798	557,078	4.4%
Total Unduplicated Audience	3,566,692	4,223,234	4,626,144	29.7%

Note: This index comprises five representative sites for each category, and is meant to act as a barometer to gauge the level of interest at commerce sites during the holiday season.

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings, November 1999

"A high level look at the early returns of the online holiday season indicates that the concept of e-tailing has a ready and waiting market in U.S. Web consumers. Given the convenience, selection and comfort afforded through Web-based shopping, the future looks bright with even greater acceptance, as increased bandwidth to the consumer’s desktop provides an even richer and more rewarding experience," said Weiner. 

Toy Sites

In the closely-watched toy category, visitors to toy sites in Nielsen//NetRatings’ Holiday
E-Commerce Index tended to be female, with 56 percent of the audience being female, compared to 45 percent for all holiday commerce surfers on November 26. Toy sites also drew a disproportionately young crowd, with 6.3 percent of the audience being 2 to 11 years old.

Apparel Sites

Apparel sites in the Nielsen//NetRatings E-Commerce Holiday Index drew the largest percentage of female surfers compared to any other category. Females comprised 65 percent of surfers to apparel sites in the index, compared to 45 percent female to all holiday commerce sites on Black Friday, November 26, often considered the United States’ largest retail shopping day of the year. Overall, apparel sites the day after Thanksgiving drew 41 percent more females than the average Web site.

Apparel sites were also the most popular category with teenagers, drawing 105 percent more 12-17 year-olds than the average Web site. 12-17 year-olds comprised 25 percent of audience traffic to apparel sites in the index, compared to 10 percent for all holiday sites in the Index on Black Friday.

While clothing sites drew the greatest percentage of female surfers, comparison sites such as MySimon.com and CompareNet.com attracted the highest percentage of male surfers—with 83 percent of visitors at these sites being male.

Cybermalls

Online malls fared well, offering something for everyone which is appealing to both those new to the Internet as well as men who like the convenience of malls, but avoid them in "real life" because of the crowds. On the day after Thanksgiving, mall sites attracted more men than women, with 62 percent of surfers at online malls being male. Of these online shopping centers, shopping at Yahoo! performed the best, proving that brand is as important on the Web as it is in traditional retail.

Computer Hardware & Software

Computer hardware and software sites faced more mixed success early in the online shopping campaign.

Said Weiner, "Computer purchases are becoming more a matter of personal taste and many are putting off buying new and second PCs until after the first of the year when Y2K fears are put to a rest."

 

About Nielsen//NetRatings

Nielsen//NetRatings, the audience measurement service from Nielsen Media Research and NetRatings, Inc., collects data from more than 38,000 panelists as they use the Internet at home. The Nielsen//NetRatings panel is the largest media research sample of at-home Internet users currently being measured in real time. Nielsen//NetRatings uses unique technology capable of measuring both Internet use and advertising to provide the most timely, accurate and comprehensive Internet usage data and advertising information in the industry.

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