Cyber Week 2018
How did online retail perform?
Who were the top players in 2018?
What did Amazon do this year?
TOP HEADLINES
UK
TOP HEADLINES
CHAPTER ONE
Industry TrendsOnline retail traffic dropped 1.3% over Cyber Week, but conversion rates rose 9.3% year-on-year. More people also searched for Black Friday deals
earlier in the month of November.
CHAPTER TWO
Top Players & Top Risers Apparel & Accessories, House & Garden, and Groceries & Alcohol grew over 5% year-on-year. Amazon and eBay also gained more ground the week
before Cyber Week.
CHAPTER THREE
Amazon’s Black Friday SuccessAmazon processed over 4.22M transactions on Black Friday, up 9% compared to last year. Search was key to their success, with Amazon
seeing a 24% increase on Black Friday.
Hitwise is a global consumer insights provider that helps brands and agencies, like Ralph Lauren, Conde Nast, Disney and Group M, to segment,
reach, and engage with online audiences. For over twenty years, we have delivered unique insights into how consumers behave - from initial
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Cyber Week Review 2018 - UK | 3
RETAIL TRAFFIC WAS DOWN ON BLACK FRIDAY AND CYBER MONDAY
Industry OverviewCHAPTER ONE
Cyber Week reached 1.39B online retail visits, with peak days, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, registering 194M and 191M visits,
respectively. Compared to last year, Cyber Week activity was down 1.3%. Even though top retailers had started their promotions
before Cyber Week, the week ending 18th November also saw a larger decline of 3.2%. This decline wasn’t across the board
though; top retailer, Amazon, grew 3.0% YoY the week before and 2.1% YoY during Cyber Week.
Online retail traffic dropped 1.3% over Cyber Week, but conversion rates rose 9.3% year-on-year.More people also searched for Black Friday deals earlier in the month of November.
Online Retail Industry Daily Visits (in millions) and % YoY Change
2018 Visits
% YoY
12/11 13/11
Week Before (Mon-Sun)
993M visitsDown 3.2% YoY
Cyber Week (Mon-Mon)
1.39B visitsDown 1.3% YoY
14/11 15/11 17/11 20/1116/11 18/11 21/11 22/11 24/11 25/1119/11 Black Friday 23/11
Cyber Monday
26/11
4%
0%
-4%
-8%
220
180
140
100
Black Friday194M visits
Down 3.2% YoYCyber Monday
191M visitsDown 2.2% YoY
Cyber Week Review 2018 - UK | 4
CONVERSION RATES HAVE GROWN
Whilst online retail activity declined, the quality of that traffic had improved in 2018. Conversion rates, which are the proportion
of visits that lead to online purchases, were greater in the week before and during Cyber Week. Looking at the 30 top retailers,
conversion rates were up 7.0% the week before (2.72% average) and up 5.5% over Cyber Week (3.32% average).
Average Conversion for 30 Top Retailers Daily Conversion Rate 2018 vs 2017
2018 Conversion Rate2017 Conversion Rate
12/11 13/11
Week Before (Mon-Sun)
2.72% Daily ConversionUp 7.0% YoY
2.85%2.84%
4.23%
3.74%
2.50% 2.44%
4.01%
3.45%
Cyber Week (Mon-Mon)
3.32% Daily ConversionUp 5.5% YoY
14/11 15/11 17/11 20/1116/11 18/11 21/11 22/11 24/11 25/1119/11 Black Friday 23/11
Cyber Monday
26/11
5%
4%
3%
2%
Cyber Week Review 2018 - UK | 5
SEARCHES FOR “BLACK FRIDAY” GREW TWO WEEKS PRIOR
The weeks in which people were looking for “Black Friday” or “Cyber Monday” also shifted. The number of people searching for
deals had dropped 5% in the week of Black Friday (ending 24th November). This change occurred among Females and people
aged 18-24 yo. Instead, these audiences were more likely to search for deals two weeks prior (ending 10th November).
Searchers of “Black Friday” & “Cyber Monday” Weekly Unique Users (in millions) 2018 vs 2017
3 Weeks Prior(to 3/11)
1 Week Prior (to 17/11)
Week of Black Friday(to 24/11)
2 Weeks Prior (to 10/11)
2017 Searchers
2018 Searchers
2 Weeks Before 457K Searchers
Females up 2.6% YoY 18-24 yo up 3.7% YoY
Week of Black Friday 3.06M Searchers
Females down 1.1% YoY 18-24 yo down 3.7% YoY
-1%+20%
-1%
-5%
4
3
2
1
0
WHAT DOES THIS DATA TELL US? Since Black Friday came to our shores in 2013, we’ve become accustomed to seeing exponential online growth. 2018 has been a different story. Cyber Week traffic was down for the first time. This impact wasn’t across the board though; top retailer, Amazon, still grew. We are also getting more effective at converting visitors into buyers.
Cyber Week Review 2018 - UK | 6
APPAREL, HOUSE & GARDEN, AND GROCERIES GREW OVER CYBER WEEK
Top Players & Top RisersCHAPTER TWO
Major closures among top retailers, like House of Fraser and Tesco, largely impacted online traffic results for Department
Stores. Accounting for 41% of the total industry, Department Stores dipped both on Black Friday by 7% and Cyber Week by
3%. In contrast, verticals that have grown throughout the year continued to rise, including: Apparel & Accessories, House &
Garden, and Groceries & Alcohol.
Apparel & Accessories, House & Garden, and Groceries & Alcohol grew over 5% year-on-year. Amazon and eBay also gained more ground the week before Cyber Week.
Retail Verticals Visits on Black Friday and Cyber Week (in millions and % YoY)
Department Stores
Apparel & Accessories
Auctions
House & Garden
Rewards
Electronics
Sport & Fitness
Health & Beauty
Toys & Hobbies
Groceries & Alcohol
79.3
37.9
12.4
11.7
11.9
10.5
8.3
7.4
4.3
3.9
563.5
245.7
112.9
97.2
85.6
60.6
53.6
46.4
33.6
34.8
-7%
3%
2%
8%
-2%
-3%
-9%
0%
-11%
12%
-3%
5%
0%
6%
-3%
-3%
-4%
0%
-7%
10%
Vertical Black Friday Cyber Week % YoY % YoY
Cyber Week Review 2018 - UK | 7
“50% OFF EVERYTHING” PLUS WAS THE SWEET SPOT FOR FAST RISERS
These verticals were largely bolstered by key brands promoting deep discounts. In Apparel and House & Garden, brands like
Boohoo, PrettyLittleThing, Matalan, and Wayfair headlined with more than 50% off discounts store-wide. Top risers in Groceries
and Alcohol took a different approach. Aldi didn’t officially partake in Black Friday sales, instead, offered their own “specialbuys”
on top appliances. Ocado had a special promotion off the first shop + free delivery to entice new customers.
Fast Risers % YoY in Visit Share on Black Friday
Apparel House & Garden Groceries & Alcohol
+25% +74% +49%
+20% +69% +22%
Boohoo“60% off everything”
Matalan“Up to 50% off everything”
AldiOfficially did not take part, but offered “Specialbuys”
PrettyLittleThing“50% off everything”
Wayfair“Up to 70% off everything”
OcadoOffered special promo “30% off first shop + 1yr free delivery”
Cyber Week Review 2018 - UK | 8
AMAZON AND EBAY GAINED GROUND THE WEEK BEFORE CYBER WEEK
Amazon rose by 3% YoY to reach over one-quarter of the industry’s share during Cyber Week. But comparing visit share by
week, Amazon and eBay had gained more ground the week before. Whereas all other top retailers, particularly Argos, John
Lewis, and Currys, took a much higher share on the day of Black Friday
Top 10 Retailers Visits in Black Friday and Cyber Week (in millions)
Amazon UK
eBay UK
Argos
John Lewis
Marks & Spencer
Currys
Next
ASOS
Very
Debenhams
27.6%
8.6%
2.9%
1.5%
1.2%
1.1%
1.0%
0.9%
0.8%
0.6%
25.8%
5.8%
3.8%
2.4%
0.9%
2.0%
1.1%
1.1%
0.9%
1.2%
26.4%
7.4%
3.2%
2.0%
1.0%
1.4%
1.0%
1.0%
0.8%
1.0%
Top Retailers Week Before (Mon-Sun) Black Friday (23/11) Cyber Week (Mon-Mon)
Amazon, eBay and M&S gained more share the week before Cyber Week
Other top retailers, especially Argos, John Lewis, and Currys, gained share on Black Friday
WHAT DOES THIS DATA TELL US?Consumers aren’t falling for smoke and mirrors. Retailers and brands that headlined with deep discounts, or ones that were creative with their product and delivery promotions, were the most successful in 2018. Like last year, starting well before Black Friday also paid off for the top two retailers, Amazon and eBay.
Cyber Week Review 2018 - UK | 9
AMAZON HAD ITS BIGGEST CYBER WEEK TO DATE
Amazon’s Black Friday CHAPTER THREE
From Launch Day, Black Friday to Cyber Monday, Amazon saw success on each key date. Starting their Black Friday sales on 16th
November, visits and transactions grew 5% and 22%, respectively - the largest rise out of all peak days. Amazon also processed
4.22M transactions on Black Friday, and received 52.44M visits on Cyber Monday - the largest of these figures to date.
Amazon processed over 4.22M transactions on Black Friday, up 9% compared to last year. Search was key to their success, with Amazon seeing a 24% increase on Black Friday.
Amazon’s Black Friday
Amazon’s Cyber Week in Numbers
Day of Launch (16/11) Biggest day of growth YoY
Black Friday (23/11) Biggest day of trasnactions
Cyber Monday (26/11) Biggest day of visits
Visits Total visits (m) % YoY visits
Transactions
Total transactions (m)
% YoY transactions
Conversions
Conversion rate
Visitors that made a purchase
42.39
5%
2.98
22%
7.02%
1 in 7 visitors(or 15% of visitors)
49.98
-1%
4.22
9%
8.44%
1 in 5 visitors(or 19% of visitors)
52.44
2%
3.90
7%
7.44%
1 in 6 visitors(or 16% of visitors)
Cyber Week Review 2018 - UK | 10
SEARCH WAS KEY TO AMAZON’S SUCCESS
Searches starting on Amazon was key to this rise, with the volume of sessions increasing by 24% on Black Friday. Searches for
popular gaming consoles like the “Nintendo” and Amazon’s “Echo Dot” skyrocketed compared to last year, and featured among
their top purchased products. Additionally, groceries and alcohol also popped into Amazon’s top list, from Ferror Collection, Jack
Daniel’s to Instant Pots.
Amazon on Black Friday Top Searches & Top Products
“Laptop”
“PS4”
“Nintendo Switch”
“Lego”
“Fitbit”
“Headphones”
“Echo Dot”
“SSD”
“PS4 Games”
“Tablet”
SanDisk Ultra 128GB
All-new Echo Dot (3rd Gen) Charcoal Fabric
Fire TV Stick with 1st Gen
Amazon Echo (2nd Gen) Charcoal Fabric
Ferrero Collection, 48 Pieces
Samsung MZ-76E500B/EU 500 GB
Nintendo Switch - Neon Red/Neon Blue
Fire TV Stick 4K Ultra HD
Jack Daniel’s Whiskey, 70 cl
Instant Pot Duo V2 7-in-1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
643,092
474,749
471,720
425,672
404,352
344,700
292,286
290,190
281,423
231,357
17.3K
10.6K
9.0K
8.0K
7.0K
6.6K
6.6K
5.3K
4.7K
4.5K
343%
167%
30%
174%
135%
139%
1191%
214%
289%
194%
26%
9%
12%
7%
22%
10%
10%
19%
22%
12%
Searches Products# Searches # Purchases% YoY % Conversion
Amazon’s own devices, Echo Dot & Fire Stick, topped search and product purchases.
Gaming consoles, the PS4 and Nintendo Switch, also topped Amazon’s list.
Cyber Week Review 2018 - UK | 11
CONVERTING VISITORS TO BUYERS WAS ALSO KEY
Over the two weeks to Black Friday (ending 24th November), Amazon converted 28% of their visitors into buyers. Out of those
buyers, 54% exclusively bought with the retailer*. Amazon’s total buyers and exclusive buyers were both up 4% YoY. These shifts
came from mostly older audiences from London and South East regions.
Amazon Buyer Profile Audience Size and Profile Shifts
* Exclusive Buyers = Purchased on Amazon, and did not
purchase on other top 7 retailers (Argos, Next, John Lewis,
Currys, ASOS, M&S and eBay).
Amazon Buyers28% of Amazon’s Visitors
Shift YoY:
Up 3.8% YoY in size
Up 11% for 45-54 yo Male Up 10% for 25-34 yo Male Up 6% for 45-54 yo Female
Up 10% from London regionUp 9% for South East region
Amazon Exclusive Buyers*54% of Amazon’s Buyers
Shift YoY:
Up 4.0% YoY in size
Up 12% for 18-24 yo FemalesUp 11% for 45-54 yo Males Up 10% for 25-34 yo Females Up 9% from London region Up 8% from South East region
23.13M
6.47M
3.48M
Amazon Visitors
Amazon Buyers
Amazon ExclusiveBuyers
WHAT DOES THIS DATA TELL US?As other department stores struggle, Amazon continues to grow. The retailer is operating like a search engine. They have gotten better at keeping people on their site, and only buying from them. The top products list helps explain why this is the case. Amazon is increasingly becoming the go-to-marketplace for broader categories, like gifts, food and alcohol this peak season.
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APPENDIX
Page 3: Hitwise UK. Daily visits to Shopping & Classifieds Industry.
Page 4: Hitwise UK. Average daily conversion, calculated as a simple average
across 30 top retailers (by traffic).
Page 5: Hitwise UK. Number of unique users searching for “Black Friday”, “Cyber
Monday” & “Cyber Week” (and variations of these terms).
Page 6: Hitwise UK. Daily visits to sub industries of Shopping & Classifieds.
Cyber Week = Monday 19 Nov to Monday 26 Nov.
Page 7 Hitwise UK. Visit share YoY in Shopping & Classifieds industry.
Page 8: Hitwise UK. Share of visits to the Shopping & Classifieds industry.
Cyber Week = Monday 19 Nov to Monday 26 Nov. Top 10 retailers by traffic.
Page 9: Hitwise UK. Visit share YoY in Shopping & Classifieds industry.
Page 10: Hitwise UK. Top searches and purchases on Amazon, 23 Nov.
Page 11: Hitwise UK. Audience = visitors, buyers or exclusive buyers of
Amazon. 2 weeks to 24 Nov.