news release

The UK’s 10 Most Visited Mobile Retail Sites

The IMRG-Experian Hitwise Mobile Hot Shops List has revealed the UK’s top 10 mobile retailers by site traffic for the first time, with Amazon UK being as dominant in the mobile traffic space as they are over desktop visits.

Between them, the Amazon UK (1st) and Amazon.com (3rd) sites accounted for over 10% of mobile visits to retail sites in April 2013, with Argos (2nd) receiving 2.3% of visits.

Overall, there are very few differences between those retailers appearing in the mobile and desktop site visits lists. The notable exception is the absence of Apple (2nd in the desktop rankings) from the mobile list, which suggests that users have a stronger tendency to browse and download music into iTunes on their PC before transferring onto a mobile device.

Highlights from the desktop IMRG-Experian Hitwise Hot Shops List (listed in full below), now in its seventh year, were as follows:

• Highest risers – Orange, (+45 places), Carphone Warehouse, (+25) and Netflix, (+22).
• Blockbuster collapse appears to have had an effect – LoveFilm, Cineworld Cinemas and Netflix all rose in the rankings compared with May last year.
• Also climbing the rankings were mobile retailers, including Carphone Warehouse (+25) and Orange (+45) no doubt boosted by the surge in popularity of smartphones and tablets.
• A number of fashion retailers rose in the rankings: Zara (+13 places) Boohoo and Boden (+11), ASOS and Very (+3) and Next (+1).

James Murray, Digital Insight Manager for Experian Marketing Services: “Technology is changing our lives and with smartphone penetration in the UK approaching 60% of the population, mobile shopping is rapidly expanding.  The brands that can provide a seamless experience for their customers regardless of device are the ones that are flourishing and it is no coincidence that there is significant overlap between the top 10 retailers from mobile visits and the top 10 of the Hot Shops list. This is also evidenced by leading providers like Apple, Orange, O2, Carphone Warehouse and 3Store rising up the list since last year.
“Overall online retail continues to grow at a considerable pace with UK Internet visits up 30% year-on-year for the first quarter of 2013. The UK now spends 10% of all time online shopping and the Hot Shops list remains an important barometer to measure where shoppers are going to make their retail purchases”

Tina Spooner, Chief Information Officer at IMRG: “The shift away from desktop to mobile internet use is ever-more apparent and it is no surprise to see a number of mobile providers rising up the rankings in the latest Hot Shops List . Mobile commerce continues to record triple-digit growth and now accounts for 20% of the UK online retail market, having grown from less than 1% in 2010.  Mobile visits to e-retail sites now account for almost 1 in 3 online retail visits in the UK which reflects a changing attitude among consumers.  Retailers that continue to invest in their mobile operations will, no doubt, continue to reap the rewards.

“The demise of Blockbuster appears to have had a positive effect for a number of entertainment companies, with the winners being LoveFilm, Cineworld Cinemas and Netflix, which all rose in the Top 100 List rankings from last year.”

The IMRG-Experian Hitwise Hot Shops List of the top 100 UK e-retailers* is the key indicator of online merchant performance.  The Top 100 List is published annually and tracks popularity, as indicated by visits, of those selling goods and services within the IMRG Capgemini Index Classification**.  This List is based on April 2013 data.

* 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

ENDS

MEDIA ENQUIRIES

IMRG
Andy Mulcahy
Tel: 020 7716 5604
Email: andy.mulcahy@imrg.org
Web: www.imrg.org 

EXPERIAN MARKETING SERVICES
Alexandra Banks
Tel: +44 (0)796610 2823
Email: press.uk@hitwise.com
Web: www.experian.co.uk/marketingservices

Notes to Editors

About IMRG
IMRG (Interactive Media in Retail Group) is the industry association for global e-retail. Formed in 1990, IMRG is setting and maintaining pragmatic and robust e-retail standards to enable fast-track industry growth, and facilitates its community of members with practical help, information, tools, guidance and networking. Consumers can be confident when dealing with IMRG Members because all interact in an environment where they are encouraged to operate using methods that are Honest, Decent, Legal, Truthful and Fair, and have undertaken to not bring the industry into disrepute. The strength of IMRG is the collective and cooperative power of its members. For more information please visit http://www.imrg.org/ or email press@imrg.org.

About Experian Marketing Services
Experian Marketing Services is a global provider of integrated consumer insight, data quality and cross-channel marketing. We help organisations from around the world intelligently interact with today’s dynamic, empowered and hyper connected customers. By coordinating seamless interactions across all marketing channels, marketers are able to plan and execute superior brand experiences that deepen customer loyalty, strengthen brand advocacy and maximise profits.

For more information, visit www.experian.co.uk/marketingservices
 
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, France and Brazil. More information about Experian Hitwise is available at www.hitwise.com/uk.