Record numbers of visitors flock to UK retail websites

by Jennifer Whitehead,, Brand Republic 16-Dec-04, 08:00

LONDON - Record numbers of visitors have been hitting UK retail websites in the run-up to Christmas as shoppers abandon the high street, according to new research.

According to Hitwise research, 13.1% of all internet visitors in the first week of December were hitting shopping and classified websites, an all-time high in the internet research company's records and an increase of 4% on the previous week's market share, and up 24% on the same time last year.

The figures contrast markedly with footfall levels in high-street shops, which have only seen a 1.7% increase since last year.

However, high-street brands are still proving to be the most popular for shoppers looking for appliances and electronics, with the top three spots in this category being taken by Comet, Currys and Dixons, Hitwise reported.

Most visited UK shopping sites, week ending December 11

1. eBay UK 30.97%

2. Amazon UK 7.86%

3. Kelkoo UK 2.5%

4. Argos 2.25%

5. Play.com 2.11%

6. Tesco.com 1.91%

7. eBay Motors UK 1.56%

8. Dell Europe 1.25%

9. DealTime UK 0.94%

10. Comet UK 0.85%

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