IMRG-Hitwise Hot Shops List, November 2009

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Lindsay O’Gorman

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IMRG – HITWISE HOT SHOPS LIST, NOV 2009

Experian Hitwise today (1 December) publishes the fifteenth quarterly edition of the IMRG-HITWISE HOT SHOPS LIST, which ranks by popularity, as indicated by visits, the top 50 UK e-retailers* selling goods and services within the IMRG Index Classification**.

It’s all steady at the top of the latest Hot Shops List, with the leading three brands retaining their dominance of the UK online shopping scene.  Amazon.co.uk (1), Argos (2), Play (3) each keep their regular spots as did Tesco (7). Marks & Spencer (5) climbed one place, but Amazon.com (6) fell one place for the second month running and Next (8) dropped 4 places. New entrants to the top 10 this quarter were Apple Computer (4), John Lewis (9) and Tesco Direct (10).

 IMRG-Hitwise Hot Shops List, November 2009 

*The IMRG-Experian Hitwise Hot Shops List excludes eBay and price comparison / aggregator websites such as Kelkoo and Froogle.
    
**IMRG Capgemini Index Classification:  Beer / wine / spirits; Books; CDs / tapes / records; Clothing / footwear / accessories; Computer hardware / peripherals / consumables; Consumer electronics; Digital downloads (e.g. music, software); Flowers; Food, beverages and household supplies; Furniture; Garden / DIY; Health and beauty; Home appliances (e.g. washing machines); Household goods (e.g. kitchenware, bedding); Jewellery / watches; Software; Sporting goods; Tickets (e.g. cinema, theatre, events); Toys; Travel (e.g. flights, holidays, hotels, car hire); Video games; Videos / DVDs

The biggest movers this quarter were: GAME (22) moving up twenty positions, Boots (28) moved up nineteen places, Sainsbury's (29) climbed seventeen, ASDA Direct (33) moved up fifteen spots, PC World (31) moved up ten while ASDA (27) , New Look (18) and John Lewis (9) all moved up nine spots.    
    
There were no new entrants to the list this quarter but Toys 'R' Us - UK (47), Carphone Warehouse (50) and HP(41) all re-entered the Top 50 after an absence of just one quarter.     
    
Several brands fell significantly this quarter compared to last. Thomas Cook (46) fell thirty places, Vue Entertainment (49) slipped sixteen, Odeon Cinemas (40) & Cineworld Cinemas (44) both fell fourteen spots, while Thomson Holidays (21) fell thirteen places and Littlewoods (30) moved down ten.  Another thirteen moved down by less than ten places but Halfords, TravelRepublic.co.uk and First Choice all fell out of the top 50 this quarter.

IMRG's CEO, James Roper, comments:    
With the Christmas run-up under way, it is interesting to note how brands’ positions compare with previous years.  Overall there is not too much change – twenty-seven of the fifty are within four places of their Hot Shops List rankings in October 2008, and five of the top ten have not moved at all:  Amazon.co.uk, Argos, Play.com, Marks & Spencer and Amazon.com.  John Lewis at 9 is particularly strong, up from 13 last October, 17 in 2008, and 20 the year before that.  ASOS continues to power ahead, ranking 11 this time, up from 14 last year and 29 in October 2007, while New Look, at 18 has soared twenty-eight places from the 46 spot it occupied last year.  Debenhams is also strong at 20, up from 28 last time, and 49th place in October 2006.    
    
Experian Hitwise's Director of Research, Robin Goad, comments:    
As we approach Christmas, retailers from sectors that traditionally do well at this time of year have improved their positions on the list. Department stores such as Marks and Spencer, John Lewis and the supermarket properties have all moved up the rankings, while Amazon UK and Argos retain the top two positions. Fashion retailers have also benefited from this seasonal boost, and of course toy stores. Finally, two much anticipated new product releases - Microsoft Windows 7 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - led to an increase in demand for software, computers, video games and consoles, helping both electronics and entertainment retailers pick up more visitors this quarter.

About Experian Hitwise

Experian Hitwise is the leading online competitive intelligence service. Experian Hitwise gives marketers a competitive advantage by providing daily insights on how 25 million Internet users around the world interact with more than 1 million Web sites. This external view helps companies grow and protect their businesses by identifying threats and opportunities as they develop. Experian Hitwise has more than 1,500 clients across numerous sectors, including financial services, media, travel and retail.

Experian Hitwise (FTS:EXPN), www.experianplc.com, operates in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada and Brazil. More information about Experian Hitwise is available at www.hitwise.co.uk.

For up-to-date analysis of online trends, please visit the Experian Hitwise research blog at www.ilovedata.com and the Experian Hitwise Data Centre at www.hitwise.com/uk/resources/data-centre.

About Experian

Experian is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients in more than 65 countries. The company helps businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making. Experian also helps individuals to manage their credit relationships and protect against identity theft.

Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended 31 March 2009 was $3.9 billion. Experian employs approximately 15,000 people in 40 countries and has its corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; Costa Mesa, California; and São Paulo, Brazil. 

For more information, visit http://www.experianplc.com.