Hong Kong, 18 March 2010 – Experian®, the global information services company, has identified changing trends in online marketing as Internet retailers sought to attract more consumers to their websites for Valentine 's Day. Some of the most interesting changes include a sharp growth in visits to online retail stores from the Flower & Gifts (Shopping & Classifieds) industry, an increased reliance on social media as a channel for generating online traffic, and decreases in visits to the online retail stores from the Intimate Apparel and Accessories (Shopping and Classifieds) industries.
Based on Experian's Hitwise traffic sources, the biggest trend in online marketing in the run up to this year 's Valentine's Day was a continued increase and emphasis on traffic and sales generated from social media services and sites. With 26.3 percent of the traffic generated from social networks, online shopping and classifieds retailers experienced a growth of 47.0 percent from this channel compared to 2009. (week ending 20 February 2010 compared to week ending 14 February 2009)
At the same time, Experian Hitwise found increases in traffic from Search Engines (Computers and Internet) +41.4 percent and Multimedia (Entertainment) +22.0 percent channels while Dating (Lifestyle) and Weddings (Lifestyle) saw marked decreases as an online traffic generator with decreases of -50.5 percent and -34.5 percent respectively. These results suggest that consumers are changing the way they shop online and that e-retailers need to adapt to these changing conditions if they want to remain competitive in attracting consumers purchasing Valentine 's Day gifts.
Top 10 Websites
Changes also occurred in the rankings of the most used and most popular websites for purchasing gifts and flowers. Hallmark.com was the most popular website with 13.9 percent of all visits, a 96 percent increase over the week prior (week ending 13 February 2010 compared to week ending 6 February 2010), followed by ShopThruPost, an online shopping mall administered by Hongkong Post with 6.8 percent. 1-800-Flowers.com and FarEastFlora.com Hong Kong experienced enormous week on week growth of 96.1 percent and 170.8 percent respectively to be positioned 3rd and 5th with 5.7 percent and 4.7 percent share of visits respectively, separated by Japanese store Sanrio in 4th position with a share of 5.2 percent of all visits to the Gifts & Flowers category.
Rank |
Company |
Visits % |
1 |
Hallmark.com |
13.87% |
2 |
ShopThruPost |
6.80% |
3 |
1-800-flowers.com |
5.73% |
4 |
Sanrio |
5.17% |
5 |
FarEastFlora.com - Hong Kong |
4.71% |
6 |
DaySpring Cards |
4.27% |
7 |
001 Mays Flower |
3.53% |
8 |
Agnes B. Fleuriste |
3.07% |
9 |
1800baskets.com |
2.46% |
10 |
Gifts.com |
1.92% |
For companies planning to attract customers online with great deals, Experian provides best practices, tip and techniques that generate powerful digital marketing results.
"Today's increasingly-competitive business environment makes it critical for online retailers, not only to understand their customers but also to use a wide variety of online tools and techniques to attract consumers to their sites and convert visitors into buyers,” said John Merakovsky, Director of Experian Digital Marketing Asia Pacific. "Whether it is through online marketing campaigns, search marketing or conversion optimization, Experian's data, analytics and platforms enable organisations to deliver high return online marketing campaigns.”
Notes: Data related to opening paragraph
Contact:
Margaret Lam
VP of Marketing, Asia Pacific
Tel: +852 2839 5276
Email: margaret.lam@hk.experian.com
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.
For more information on Experian Asia Pacific, visit http://www.experian.com.hk