Cyber Monday Traffic Down in 2009, Visits to Amazon Surged

On Cyber Monday, overall U.S. visits to the top 500 online retailers fell 9 percent compared with 2008 levels, according to data from Hitwise.

However, the online measurement firm reported Amazon as the top visited retail site, accounting for 15.53 percent of traffic to the top 500 in the category. The retailer witnessed a 44 percent increase in visits compared to the same day in 2008. Behind Amazon, Walmart was the second most visited with 9.54 percent, followed by Target with 5.16 percent. BestBuy and JC Penny took the fourth and fifth spots with 3.56 percent and 2.58 percent of visits, respectively, but BestBuy witnessed a 7 percent decline on its traffic during 2008.

Sears and Overstock.com also experienced year-on-year reductions in traffic, falling by 12 and 35 percent, respectively, but Dell USA attracted 31 percent more visitors than it did in 2008.

Among the top 20 sites visited on Cyber Monday, Staples saw the largest increase in visits compared to 2008 with 61 percent growth. Barnes & Noble also saw a substantial 46 percent increase year-on-year. Outside the top 20, The Apple Store site saw an impressive 71 percent increase in visits on Cyber Monday 2009 versus 2008.