Consumers set up a blockbuster holiday season at the Box Office
Traffic to U.K. E-Tailers Increases, Indicating an Early Start to the Holiday Shopping Season
London, U.K., November 22, 2006 – Comscore Networks, a leader in measuring the digital age, today revealed the top U.K. Internet properties for October, based on data collected through its Comscore World Metrix audience ratings service. Google Sites (not including YouTube) edged out Microsoft Sites in October to become the most-visited Web property in the U.K. for the first time, followed by Microsoft Sites and eBay.
Top Online Properties by U.K. Unique Visitors, Age 15+October 2006 Total U.K. – Home and Work Locations*Source: Comscore World Metrix
Sept.-06 (000)
Oct.-06 (000)
Percentage Change
Total U.K. Internet Audience, Age 15+
29,589
29,553
0%
Google Sites
24,748
24,816
Microsoft Sites
24,958
24,798
-1%
eBay
19,825
19,905
Yahoo! Sites
19,670
19,474
BBC Sites
16,704
16,339
-2%
Time Warner Network
13,081
12,990
Amazon Sites
11,875
12,386
4%
Ask Network
12,021
11,771
Fox Interactive Media
8,739
9,245
6%
Wikipedia Sites
8,217
8,630
5%
DMGT
8,629
7,958
-8%
British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB)
7,040
7,604
8%
Apple Computer, Inc.
7,495
7,528
YOUTUBE.COM
5,852
7,252
24%
GUS
6,802
6,993
3%
MULTIMAP.COM
7,465
6,964
-7%
France Telecom
7,347
6,906
-6%
CNET Networks
6,494
6,879
Tesco Stores
5,958
6,674
12%
NTL
6,555
6,663
2%
* Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.
“We have watched the popularity of Google consistently grow over time,” said Bob Ivins, managing director of Comscore Europe. “While the current month-over-month increase was small, it was just enough to earn them the number one spot.”
Added Ivins: “Also notable was YouTube’s 24 percent increase in traffic in October. YouTube’s ascent in popularity around the world and in the U.K., demonstrated by the site’s month-after-month double-digit percentage increases, has been remarkable.”
It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas
Retail sites represented nearly half of the top 20 gaining sites in the U.K. in October, indicating an early interest in holiday shopping. Leading the top gainers were Woolworths Group plc with 2.6 million visitors and HMV with 2.4 million visitors, growing 65 and 30 percent, respectively. U.K. traffic to the Wal-Mart Web property, which includes ASDA, grew 14 percent to 2.3 million visitors. Littlewoods Shop Direct Group grew 12 percent to 3.9 million visitors, followed by Tesco Stores (also a top 20 site), which grew 12 percent to 6.7 million visitors. Other retail sites rounding out the list of top gainers include Marks&Spencer, up 10 percent to 2.4 million visitors; Play.com sites, up 10 percent to 3.6 million visitors; and Dixons Stores Group, up 10 percent to 4.2 million visitors.
In addition to shopping, Britons were apparently busy booking holiday travel in October, with traffic to British Airways gaining 26 percent to 3.5 million visitors and British Midland gaining 11 percent to 2.6 million visitors.
Top 20 Gaining Properties by Percentage Change in U.K. Unique Visitors*October 2006 vs. September 2006Total U.K. Visitors, Age 15+ – Home and Work Locations**Source: Comscore World Metrix
Woolworths Group plc
1,577
2,602
65%
HMV
1,837
2,380
30%
British Airways
2,803
3,530
26%
Vodafone Group
3,967
4,994
Bank of America
2,200
2,713
23%
Disney Online
2,804
3,275
17%
NATIONALLOTTERY.CO.UK
3,760
4,361
16%
Reed Elsevier Group
2,368
2,706
14%
Wal-Mart (includes ASDA)
1,998
2,277
HSBC
4,353
4,945
EA Online
1,932
2,180
13%
Littlewoods Shop Direct Group
3,462
3,888
Sony Online
2,537
2,840
British Midland
2,338
2,591
11%
Marks&Spencer
2,217
2,445
10%
Play.com Sites
3,306
3,639
Dixons Stores Group
3,806
4,177
BEBO.COM
4,458
4,886
*Ranking based on the top 100 U.K. properties in October 2006.** Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.
Online advertising by banking sites Bank of America and HSBC paid off with sizable traffic gains in October with Bank of America growing 23 percent to 2.7 million visitors and HSBC growing 14 percent to 4.9 million visitors.
“Banks have invested in online advertising ahead of retail spending this holiday season, offering low rates on credit cards, as well as refinancing opportunities,” Ivins commented.
About Comscore World Metrix
Comscore World Metrix is the first service to continuously measure and report online behaviour on a world-wide basis, providing visitation metrics and demographic characteristics for Web site audiences around the world. With active representation of countries that comprise the vast majority of the global Internet population, World Metrix provides its clients with worldwide Internet population estimates and harmonized online performance metrics based on a consistent methodology across all countries. More than 100 clients subscribe to Comscore’s World Metrix service, including 8 of the top 10 interactive advertising agencies.
About Comscore NetworksComscore Networks is a global leader in measuring the digital age. This capability is based on a massive, global cross-section of more than 2 million consumers who have given Comscore permission to confidentially capture their browsing and transaction behaviour, including online and offline purchasing. Comscore panellists also participate in survey research that captures and integrates their attitudes and intentions. Through its proprietary technology, Comscore measures what matters across a broad spectrum of behaviour and attitudes. Comscore consultants apply this deep knowledge of customers and competitors to help clients design powerful marketing strategies and tactics that deliver superior ROI. Comscore services are used by global leaders such as AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo!, Verizon, Best Buy, The Newspaper Association of America, Tribune Interactive, ESPN, Fox Sports, Nestlé, MBNA, Universal McCann, the United States Postal Service, Merck and Expedia. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com.
PressBill DaddiDaddi Brand Communications646-370-1341press@comscore.com