November 22 2006
IMRG-Hitwise Hot Shops List ranks top 50 e-retailers
The quarterly IMRG-Hitwise Hot Shops List has been updated to show the top 50 ranking e-retailers in the UK. Eight new merchants made it into the November Hot Shops List - the fastest riser and a new entrant to both the List and the marketplace, Tesco Direct, streaked in at number 22.
Amazon.co.uk dominated the No.1 spot in the Hot Shops List, as usual, while Play.com jumped four places into the number 2 position, relegating Argos from second to third place. Online heavyweights Tesco.com, Amazon.com, easyJet and Expedia.co.uk all maintained their top ten slots, coming in at 4, 5, 6 and 7, respectively. New entrants to the Hot Top Ten were Apple Computer (at 8, up from 13 in August), RyanAir.com (9 / 11 last time), and British Airways (10 / 14). August's list can be seen here.
ASDA (47) and Screwfix Direct (48) reappeared in the List, having dropped out in August. The other five new brands were Thomson Holiday Destinations (27), Norton Antivirus maker, Symantec Store (33), Superbreak (39), Toys 'R' Us UK (40) and ebookers.com (50).
Strong performances were recorded for Woolworths which, at 25, was 16 places higher than the 41 slot it occupied in both August and May, and Marks & Spencer at 14 continued to make good progress, having climbed from 19th position in August, and 23rd in May.
"Only two of the top ten brands have physical stores, as do less than half of all the Hot Shops List retailers," said IMRG CEO James Roper. "Just 24 out of the 50 have a bricks-and-mortar presence. For the pure plays, getting visitors to their sites is obviously critical: no traffic, no trade. But it is no less critical for traditional retailers, so it is surprising that so many leading high street brands are not performing better, or even appearing in the List at all. The online consumer spend is not new money; it is cash that is not being spent of the high street. Merchants are either winning online, or losing the retail game."
Hitwise's VP of Research, Heather Hopkins commented: "Many traditional high street brands are showing their strength online in the lead up to Christmas, with Tesco and Argos taking positions among the top 5 retail brands online. Woolworths is another high street brand to watch this Christmas. The launch of the Red Book and an aggressive above the line campaign have pushed the Woolworths' website to a ranking of 25th, up from 41st last quarter. In October, Woolworths' market share of UK internet visits was up 88% year-on-year".
1. Amazon UK
2. Play.com
3. Argos
4. Tesco.com
5. Amazon.com
6. easyJet
7. Expedia.co.uk
8. Apple Computer
9. RyanAir.com
10. British Airways
11. lastminute.com
12. Dell EMEA
13. TalkTalk
14. Marks & Spencer
15. Thomson Holidays
16. Next
17. HMV.co.uk
18. Ticketmaster UK
19. Comet UK
20. John Lewis Stores
21. Currys
22. Tesco Direct
23. bmibaby
24. PC World E-Commerce
25. Woolworths UK
26. QVCUK.com
27. Thomson Holiday Destinations
28. Packard Bell UK
29. Thomsonfly.com
30. Thomas Cook
31. First Choice
32. The Orange Shop
33. Symantec Store
34. MyTravel UK
35. B&Q
36. Jet2
37. O2 Shop
38. Travelodge UK
39. Superbreak
40. Toys R Us UK
41. Flybe.com
42. Apple iTunes
43. InterContinental Hotels Group
44. Carphone Warehouse
45. HP
46. Littlewoods Online
47. ASDA
48. Screwfix Direct
49. Debenhams
50. ebookers.com
The next list will include the Christmas sales so expect to see where the presents have been bought from and which companies have won in the rush for the Christmas getaway.
Emma Herrod
