IMRG-Hitwise Hot Shops List, November 2009

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It's all steady at the top of the latest Hot Shops List, with the leading three brands retaining their dominance of the UK online shopping scene.  Amazon.co.uk (1), Argos (2), Play (3) each keep their regular spots as did Tesco (7). Marks & Spencer (5) climbed one place, but Amazon.com (6) fell one place for the second month running and Next (8) dropped 4 places. New entrants to the top 10 this quarter were Apple Computer (4), John Lewis (9) and Tesco Direct (10).

IMRG-Hitwise Hot Shops List, November 2009

The biggest movers this quarter were: GAME (22) moving up twenty positions, Boots (28) moved up nineteen places, Sainsbury's (29) climbed seventeen, ASDA Direct (33) moved up fifteen spots, PC World (31) moved up ten while ASDA (27) , New Look (18) and John Lewis (9) all moved up nine spots.   
   
There were no new entrants to the list this quarter but Toys 'R' Us - UK (47), Carphone Warehouse (50) and HP(41) all re-entered the Top 50 after an absence of just one quarter.     
 
Several brands fell significantly this quarter compared to last. Thomas Cook (46) fell thirty places, Vue Entertainment (49) slipped sixteen, Odeon Cinemas (40) & Cineworld Cinemas (44) both fell fourteen spots, while Thomson Holidays (21) fell thirteen places and Littlewoods (30) moved down ten.  Another thirteen moved down by less than ten places but Halfords, TravelRepublic.co.uk and First Choice all fell out of the top 50 this quarter.

IMRG's CEO, James Roper, comments:   
With the Christmas run-up under way, it is interesting to note how brands' positions compare with previous years.  Overall there is not too much change - twenty-seven of the fifty are within four places of their Hot Shops List rankings in October 2008, and five of the top ten have not moved at all:  Amazon.co.uk, Argos, Play.com, Marks & Spencer and Amazon.com.  John Lewis at 9 is particularly strong, up from 13 last October, 17 in 2008, and 20 the year before that.  ASOS continues to power ahead, ranking 11 this time, up from 14 last year and 29 in October 2007, while New Look, at 18 has soared twenty-eight places from the 46 spot it occupied last year.  Debenhams is also strong at 20, up from 28 last time, and 49th place in October 2006.   
   
Experian Hitwise's Director of Research, Robin Goad, comments:   
As we approach Christmas, retailers from sectors that traditionally do well at this time of year have improved their positions on the list. Department stores such as Marks and Spencer, John Lewis and the supermarket properties have all moved up the rankings, while Amazon UK and Argos retain the top two positions. Fashion retailers have also benefited from this seasonal boost, and of course toy stores. Finally, two much anticipated new product releases - Microsoft Windows 7 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - led to an increases in demand for software, computers, video games and consoles, helping both electonics and entertainment retailers pick up more visitors this quarter.