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21 Apr 2009
The number of visits to UK retail web sites from paid search advertising fell last year, while traffic from social networks increased significantly, according to figures from online market research firm Hitwise released today.
The stats show a drop in the amount of traffic from paid search listings on search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Ask. In March 2008, 10.1 per cent of all UK internet visits to online retailers came from a paid search listing, but this figure dropped to 8.9 per cent by last month.
But the value of click-throughs from social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter appears to have grown, with the proportion of online retailers' traffic coming from these sites rising from 5.2 per cent in March 2008 to 7.1 per cent in March 2009.
The retail categories that received most traffic from social networks during March 2009 were Auctions, Fashion and Department Stores, accounting for half of all visits to online retailers.
"Social networks are a relatively small but fast growing source of traffic for online retailers," said Hitwise director of research, Robin Goad.
"At present, only a minority of retailers pick up a significant amount of traffic from social networks, but many of those that do have seen a positive impact on traffic."
The new Hitwise research also found that UK consumers in general are spending less time shopping online and more time visiting social networking sites and browsing online media.
During March 2009, 8.6 per cent of all UK internet visits were to online retail sites and 9.8 per cent to social networking web sites. But in March 2008, the figures were reversed, with online retailers accounting for 9.7 per cent of all internet visits, and social networks 8.2 per cent, according to Hitwise.
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social shopping sites for retailers to consider
I've looking into social shopping as part of my course. This isn't an exhaustive list and the order is based on my preferences and not traffic/community size as i have no way of knowing this info. Top 10 Social shopping sites: 1. Kaboodle http://www.kaboodle.com a great site, arguably market leader geared towards female consumers. Now owned by Hearst Digital Media. 2. ThisNext - http://www.thisnext.com another strong site with an emphasis on female consumers, this site feels like a great window shopping experience with expert Maverns on tap 3. Tribesmart - www.tribesmart.com this site is making use of twitter and facebook connect. There are some great tools such as the personal list builder and community messaging features based on the 'Tribes' idea. Like Veedow, Wists and Crowdstorm it could appeal to both sexes and this is potentially where the gap in the market is as Kaboodle, OSOYOU and ThisNext seem to have marked out a claim on the younger female market. 4. Veedow - http://www.veedow.com/hello a slightly confusing site, a neat idea, still yet to realize its full potential in my view 5. Stylehive - http://www.stylehive.com feeling less like a pure play social shopping site these days, it has a strong emphasis on wannabe celebrity fashion/lifestyle writers who you follow - it is not as vibrant as twitter although you can see where they are going with it 6. Jungle Raft - http://jungleraft.com/ a new entrant, included as it is a new concept with a clear proposition in terms of pulling the best deals from Amazon 7. Stylefeeder - http://www.stylefeeder.com offers to help users discover products based on their unique tastes. The looks a little off the pace and has some annoying and tacky pop up ads. All a bit old skool. 8. Crowdstorm http://www.crowdstorm.com the site is a Digg type site for products, it is based on buzz - although it does seem to have gone quiet in the last 12 months 9. Shopstyle - http://www.shopstyle.co.uk feels like an ecommerce site with price discounts on display. Lacks obvious reviews or community features - the 'sale alert' feature could be useful though and it has hooked up with Elle magazine in the past. 10. Wists - http://www.wists.com a trending site about what is new and what people plan on buying There are many others, sites like Shopcorn and Naturalbornshoppers to name but two.
Posted by: Sean Percy 23 May 2009