Report: Consumer Shopping Rises to No. 2 Ad Category

The Consumer Shopping category is currently the No. 2 ad category on the Web (CDs/Books is No 1), according to NetRatings, BannerTrack syndicated ad research service.

For the week ending July 4, banner ads aimed at Web shoppers total 119.3 million ad impressions. The NetRatings shopping category includes computing, general merchandise, autos, and flowers/gifts.

Banners cited do not include sponsor buttons.

NetRatings said the top 10 ad banners for the week of July 4 were:

1. Goto.com: Type in what you’re looking for
2. K-Tel Express: Click here to purchase music
3. Hotmail: Bookmark Hot mail to save typing
4. Catalog Link: Attention catalog addicts: don’t click here
5. Hotmail: Use nicknames for addressing Email
6. Catalog Link: Click here to request free catalogs
7. Hotmail: Click banners; easy return to Hotmail
8. Hotmail: Send Web pages in your email
9. Hotmail: Make Hotmail your homepage
10. Catalog Link: Get all the free catalogs you can put in your hands

During the week, the average Web user viewed 124 banners and clicked on .98 banners (just under a 1 percent click rate), the company said.

Rankings are based on measurement of World Wide Web activity by a representative panel of over 2,000 Internet users 18 years and older who access the Web from home.