Apple's Cyber Monday Internet shopping traffic increases 71%
Though it didn't crack the top 20 overall retail Web sites, Apple's online store saw a massive 71 percent spike in Internet traffic for Cyber Monday, placing it well above the competition.
According to new data from Experian Hitwise, overall Cyber Monday Web traffic was down 9 percent among the top 500 retail sites in the U.S. But Apple bucked the trend, with a nearly three-quarter increase since 2008.
Apple's increase is especially noteworthy because the largest increase among the top 20 Web sites tracked by Hitwise was Staples, which spiked 61 percent in Web traffic compared to 2008. It was followed by Barnes & Noble, which grew 46 percent in 2009.
The top Cyber Monday Web site, as it has been since 2006, was Amazon. The online retailer continued to grow, adding another 44 percent in visits over 2008. More than 15 percent of all online traffic of the top 500 retail sites went to Amazon.
Coming in second was Walmart with 9.54 percent of all top 500 traffic, followed by Target (5.16 percent), Best Buy (3.56 percent), and JC Penney (2.58 percent). Sites that decreased in traffic since 2008 were Home Depot, down 29 percent, and Overstock.com, which dropped 25 percent.
Cyber Monday is a marketing term coined by the retail industry in 2005 designed to grow online sales. It has been called the single largest day for the purchase of electronics online.
Hitwise also found that social Web sites like Facebook and Twitter drove traffic to top retailers Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy and Toys R Us. The number of users relying on Facebook to find online deals grew 36 percent, while Twitter traffic increased 15 percent.
Apple offered modest discounts on various accessories for its Cyber Monday sale. Major products like MacBooks and iPods were not discounted.
Though Apple did not crack the top 20 for Cyber Monday, Black Friday was particularly strong, as the Mac maker was one of only five retail Web sites that surpassed 4 million unique visitors. Last Friday, Apple saw 39 percent year-over-year growth in Web site traffic.
According to new data from Experian Hitwise, overall Cyber Monday Web traffic was down 9 percent among the top 500 retail sites in the U.S. But Apple bucked the trend, with a nearly three-quarter increase since 2008.
Apple's increase is especially noteworthy because the largest increase among the top 20 Web sites tracked by Hitwise was Staples, which spiked 61 percent in Web traffic compared to 2008. It was followed by Barnes & Noble, which grew 46 percent in 2009.
The top Cyber Monday Web site, as it has been since 2006, was Amazon. The online retailer continued to grow, adding another 44 percent in visits over 2008. More than 15 percent of all online traffic of the top 500 retail sites went to Amazon.
Coming in second was Walmart with 9.54 percent of all top 500 traffic, followed by Target (5.16 percent), Best Buy (3.56 percent), and JC Penney (2.58 percent). Sites that decreased in traffic since 2008 were Home Depot, down 29 percent, and Overstock.com, which dropped 25 percent.
Cyber Monday is a marketing term coined by the retail industry in 2005 designed to grow online sales. It has been called the single largest day for the purchase of electronics online.
Hitwise also found that social Web sites like Facebook and Twitter drove traffic to top retailers Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy and Toys R Us. The number of users relying on Facebook to find online deals grew 36 percent, while Twitter traffic increased 15 percent.
Apple offered modest discounts on various accessories for its Cyber Monday sale. Major products like MacBooks and iPods were not discounted.
Though Apple did not crack the top 20 for Cyber Monday, Black Friday was particularly strong, as the Mac maker was one of only five retail Web sites that surpassed 4 million unique visitors. Last Friday, Apple saw 39 percent year-over-year growth in Web site traffic.
Comments
First
OK Second.
Does it count if I make a relevant comment?
I went to Apple's online store on Monday, but since we already have all the Macs, iPods and iPhones we need, I ended up buying my Finnal Cut Studio upgrade at smalldog.com since Apple didn't have it discounted and Smalldog did.
We all went looking to buy the black or white morphie battery pack but Apple only discounted the red one- go figure by 10%?
Again - there may have been traffic both days but did anyone actually buy from stingy Apple? Amazon had real discount of 20 - 40%. I bought an LG blu-ray player at 50% off for $99! Who bought the Magic Mouse for $5 off? $5 will barely get you a round trip on the NYC subway.
Yes- the traffic may have been high but did anyone actually buy?
We all went looking to buy the black or white morphie battery pack but Apple only discounted the red one- go figure by 10%?
Again - there may have been traffic both days but did anyone actually buy from stingy Apple? Amazon had real discount of 20 - 40%. I bought an LG blu-ray player at 50% off for $99! Who bought the Magic Mouse for $5 off? $5 will barely get you a round trip on the NYC subway.
Well if traffic is way up, you'll likely see greater sales than usual. Just depends on sales of what.
I did happen to order some office supplies that day, but I didn't order anything from Apple, their products or related accessories. Unless you count toner for a printer whose use is maybe 20% from a Mac.
What's funny is the fact that I found the same sales prices online, on the items I wanted on Black Friday and I didn't have to get up before sunrise and battle the crowds to get them.
Were the sale prices on Monday all that different from the Friday online prices?
I actually found better online sales on Black Friday. This whole cyber Monday thing is a rather stupid idea perpetuated by retailers to try to get you online.
Me too, though I can?t say I bought anything online for weeks now.
So, is Cyber Monday still a myth or have marketers made it a reality?
DJRumpy makes a good point - many of the retailers I was following (and most of these are apparel retailers) had better sales for Black Friday. And it made sense: I had the time to shop and I didn't want to fight the crowds.
So we'll see if Cyber Monday lasts.
Though it didn't crack the top 20 overall retail Web sites, Apple's online store saw a massive 71 percent spike in Internet traffic for Cyber Monday, placing it well above the competition.
According to new data from Experian Hitwise, overall Cyber Monday Web traffic was down 9 percent among the top 500 retail sites in the U.S. But Apple bucked the trend, with a nearly three-quarter increase since 2008.
#1. If Apple didn't crack the Top 20 sites for internet traffic on Cyber Monday, where does it stand in the Top 500, if at all? This key figure is notably absent from the article. Sure, a 71% increase year-over-year for Cyber Monday sounds impressive, but percentages are ultimately meaningless without hard numbers (also, people tend to use percentages when actual numbers are not impressive by comparison). This article is making it sound like Apple wiped the competition in terms of internet traffic, when it seems it didn't. For Apple not to have made it into the Top 20 with a 71% increase means that the "competition" (Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, etc) were pulling in vastly greater numbers with increases ranging from 2% to 60%. Apple's 71% increase all of a sudden doesn't seem all that impressive when JC Penney's 2% increase landed them in the Top 20.
Apple's increase is especially noteworthy because the largest increase among the top 20 Web sites tracked by Hitwise was Staples, which spiked 61 percent in Web traffic compared to 2008. It was followed by Barnes & Noble, which grew 46 percent in 2009.
#2. I fail to see how this is noteworthy. In terms of percentages, maybe, but what are the actual numbers? Again, where does Apple stand in the Top 500 for internet traffic on Cyber Monday? This article is using percentages to compare apple to oranges (a non-Top 20 site vs. a Top 20 site).
There are a couple things I question with this story?
#1. If Apple didn't crack the Top 20 sites for internet traffic on Cyber Monday, where does it stand in the Top 500, if at all? This key figure is notably absent from the article. Sure, a 71% increase year-over-year for Cyber Monday sounds impressive, but percentages are ultimately meaningless without hard numbers (also, people tend to use percentages when actual numbers are not impressive by comparison). This article is making it sound like Apple wiped the competition in terms of internet traffic, when it seems it didn't. For Apple not to have made it into the Top 20 with a 71% increase means that the "competition" (Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, etc) were pulling in vastly greater numbers with increases ranging from 2% to 60%. Apple's 71% increase all of a sudden doesn't seem all that impressive when JC Penney's 2% increase landed them in the Top 20.
#2. I fail to see how this is noteworthy. In terms of percentages, maybe, but what are the actual numbers? Again, where does Apple stand in the Top 500 for internet traffic on Cyber Monday? This article is using percentages to compare apple to oranges (a non-Top 20 site vs. a Top 20 site).
Excellent reasoning.
I actually found better online sales on Black Friday. This whole cyber Monday thing is a rather stupid idea perpetuated by retailers to try to get you online.
What's funny is the fact that I found the same sales prices online, on the items I wanted on Black Friday and I didn't have to get up before sunrise and battle the crowds to get them.
Were the sale prices on Monday all that different from the Friday online prices?
Yeah, that's right, "Cyber Monday" is a rather stupid idea perpetuated by retailers to try to get you online. But "Black Friday is not a rather stupid idea perpetuated by retailers to try to get you inside.
DJRumpy makes a good point - many of the retailers I was following (and most of these are apparel retailers) had better sales for Black Friday. And it made sense: I had the time to shop and I didn't want to fight the crowds.
Are you saying you shop online for apparel? From my experience, which is admittedly not broad, nor deep, unless you are intimately familiar with a particular line, there's no way to know whether any given article is going to run large or small, or look like crap because of some odd cut. Not to mention colors or the feel of fabric. I've seen linens that looked great online and I went to buy it at the local store and was horrified at how ugly it was in real life.
Other than T-shirts, where you can at least get close to the right size (usually) how many people shop for clothing online?
I guess Levis might work also, since if you know your size/cut you can probably do okay. But other than that?
There are a couple things I question with this story...
#1. If Apple didn't crack the Top 20 sites for internet traffic on Cyber Monday, where does it stand in the Top 500, if at all? This key figure is notably absent from the article. Sure, a 71% increase year-over-year for Cyber Monday sounds impressive, but percentages are ultimately meaningless without hard numbers (also, people tend to use percentages when actual numbers are not impressive by comparison). This article is making it sound like Apple wiped the competition in terms of internet traffic, when it seems it didn't. For Apple not to have made it into the Top 20 with a 71% increase means that the "competition" (Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, etc) were pulling in vastly greater numbers with increases ranging from 2% to 60%. Apple's 71% increase all of a sudden doesn't seem all that impressive when JC Penney's 2% increase landed them in the Top 20.
#2. I fail to see how this is noteworthy. In terms of percentages, maybe, but what are the actual numbers? Again, where does Apple stand in the Top 500 for internet traffic on Cyber Monday? This article is using percentages to compare apple to oranges (a non-Top 20 site vs. a Top 20 site).
This is a ridiculous argument. Apple is a top online retailer and they sell a significant percentage of their product online. The fact that their sales grew more than anyone else in the top 500 is news in itself - regardless of the actual dollars. Plus, the fact that Apple grew by 71% whlle the AVERAGE retailer dropped by 9% is big news.
Are you saying you shop online for apparel? From my experience, which is admittedly not broad, nor deep, unless you are intimately familiar with a particular line, there's no way to know whether any given article is going to run large or small, or look like crap because of some odd cut. Not to mention colors or the feel of fabric. I've seen linens that looked great online and I went to buy it at the local store and was horrified at how ugly it was in real life.
I do it a lot. My daughter likes to shop in a couple of stores that have terrible in-stock performance. She'll try something in the store, but if they don't have the color she wants, she'll buy it online.
There are a couple things I question with this story...
#1. If Apple didn't crack the Top 20 sites for internet traffic on Cyber Monday, where does it stand in the Top 500, if at all? This key figure is notably absent from the article. Sure, a 71% increase year-over-year for Cyber Monday sounds impressive, but percentages are ultimately meaningless without hard numbers (also, people tend to use percentages when actual numbers are not impressive by comparison). This article is making it sound like Apple wiped the competition in terms of internet traffic, when it seems it didn't. For Apple not to have made it into the Top 20 with a 71% increase means that the "competition" (Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, etc) were pulling in vastly greater numbers with increases ranging from 2% to 60%. Apple's 71% increase all of a sudden doesn't seem all that impressive when JC Penney's 2% increase landed them in the Top 20.
#2. I fail to see how this is noteworthy. In terms of percentages, maybe, but what are the actual numbers? Again, where does Apple stand in the Top 500 for internet traffic on Cyber Monday? This article is using percentages to compare apple to oranges (a non-Top 20 site vs. a Top 20 site).
The whole analysis seems lacking if they only examined traffic for "store.apple.com" which seems to be the case though I could not find a clear indication. For other online retailers like Amazon, WalMart, Best Buy, one could clearly expect a lot of traffic was for media, like DVDs, CDs, etc. Most are probably aware that the iTunes Music Store is the number one vendor of music and has held that position for some time. It is also where every one of those iPhone apps has been sold (yes, some are free but many are not). If those sales were not included then Apple's online sales presence is significantly understated. Of course much of that traffic would not be for the purpose of buying gifts but there was no effort indicated to subtract non-gift traffic at other sites.
The summary is that store.apple.com is just a part of Apple's online commerce and iTMS needs to be considered as well.
Are you saying you shop online for apparel? From my experience, which is admittedly not broad, nor deep, unless you are intimately familiar with a particular line, there's no way to know whether any given article is going to run large or small, or look like crap because of some odd cut. Not to mention colors or the feel of fabric. I've seen linens that looked great online and I went to buy it at the local store and was horrified at how ugly it was in real life.
Other than T-shirts, where you can at least get close to the right size (usually) how many people shop for clothing online?
I guess Levis might work also, since if you know your size/cut you can probably do okay. But other than that?
I can do the same with Levis for Phillip Lim, Marc Jacobs, Tory Burch, Theory and about a half dozen others.
It's been a lot of trial and error. I used to live in New Hampshire and I had no access to these designers there (arguably, perhaps I shouldn't have been wearing them). So learning to shop for apparel on-line was a must. Returns are certainly easy enough.
As for the numbers - I frankly have no idea. It's big enough that all of the major department stores and most designers sell their clothing on-line, and that we've seen the rise of Net-a-Porter, Yoox, CUSP, Gilt Groupe, and literally hundreds of others of on-line only retailers (and Zappos, if you count shoes).
I apologize for getting away from the discussion however: these sites offered much better deals for Black Friday than Cyber Monday.
This is a ridiculous argument.
I'm not totally convinced of that.
Apple is a top online retailer
I agree it's probably, but by whose measure, and by what numbers? What is their rank and who are in neighboring ranks?
and they sell a significant percentage of their product online. The fact that their sales grew more than anyone else in the top 500 is news in itself - regardless of the actual dollars. Plus, the fact that Apple grew by 71% whlle the AVERAGE retailer dropped by 9% is big news.
The wording of the story isn't very clear that Apple outpaced absolutely everyone else in the top 500.
The fact that the absolute information is left out is still suspicious. How far down the list is Apple?