IBM Coremetrics Benchmark Reports

Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2009

Black Friday 2009 and Cyber Monday 2009 are over, and IBM Coremetrics Benchmark has the online retail data. Both shopping days delivered strong performances, outpacing 2008 levels. Retailers in general did a very good job of educating consumers about promotions and special offers, enticing more consumers to shop online than in 2008.

Cyber Monday Online Spending Exceeds 2008 Levels

The US online retail sector reported strong sales results on Cyber Monday, November 30, 2009, compared to the same period last year. This analysis, delivered as part of IBM Coremetrics' second annual Cyber Monday Benchmark Report, reveals the following trends and patterns as of 12 a.m. PST:

  • Cyber Monday continued the momentum set by Black Friday. Sales were up 24.1 percent compared to Black Friday 2009.
  • Consumers spent more per online order ($180.03 versus $170.19 for an increase of 5.8 percent) compared to Black Friday 2009.
  • Sales were up 13.7 percent compared to Cyber Monday 2008.
  • The average dollar amount consumers spent per online order rose 38.2 percent from Cyber Monday 2008 ($180.03 versus $130.24), led by apparel retailers.
  • Consumers bought nearly 10 percent more items per order on Cyber Monday 2009 compared to Black Friday 2009 and nearly 30 percent more compared to Cyber Monday 2008.
  • Consumer shopping hit its peak from 9 - 10 a.m. PST, but maintained stronger momentum throughout the day than on Cyber Monday 2008.

Retail categories compared to Cyber Monday 2008 (year/year):

  • Apparel retailers and jewelry retailers reported the biggest jumps in the average dollar amount consumers spent per online order, up 26.4 percent and 14.3 percent respectively.
  • Sports apparel and gear retailers reported a rise of nearly 55 percent in the number of new consumers visiting their sites. But the average dollar amount consumers spent per online order declined slightly by 3.1 percent.
  • Department stores also did a good job of attracting new consumers to their sites, reporting a 33 percent increase. However, average order value was down nearly 10 percent.
  • Download the Full Benchmark Cyber Monday 2009 Report (995KB)

U.S. Retail

1
Session Traffic Summary Metrics Cyber Monday 09 Cyber Monday 08 % Change (y/y) Black Friday 09 % Change (cm/bf)
Bounce (One Page) Rate1 28.86% 24.51% 17.75% 30.86% -6.48%
Multi-Page Session Percent2 71.14% 75.49% -5.76% 69.14% 2.89%
Browsing Sessions Percent3 48.88% 51.30% -4.72% 48.99% -0.22%
Shopping Cart Sessions Percent4 12.13% 10.91% 11.18% 10.95% 10.78%
Order Sessions Percent5 5.26% 3.99% 31.83% 4.50% 16.89%
Visitor Experience Summary Metrics Cyber Monday 09 Cyber Monday 08 % Change (y/y) Black Friday 09 % Change (cm/bf)
Page Views per Session6 8.8 11.59 -24.07% 8.79 0.11%
Product Views Per Session7 2.14 2.63 -18.63% 2.17 -1.38%
Average Session Length (in seconds)8 7:32 8:23 -10.14% 7:28 0.89%
Transaction Summary Metrics Cyber Monday 09 Cyber Monday 08 % Change (y/y) Black Friday 09 % Change (cm/bf)
Items per Order9 5.92 4.56 29.82% 5.4 9.63%
Average Order Value10 $180.03 $130.24 38.23% $170.19 5.78%
Shopping Cart Conversion Rate11 36.81% 37.99% -3.11% 34.60% 6.39%
Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate12 63.19% 62.01% 1.90% 65.40% -3.38%
New Visitor Conversion Percent13 4.28% 2.91% 47.08% 3.71% 15.36%
On site Search Summary Cyber Monday 09 Cyber Monday 08 % Change (y/y) Black Friday 09 % Change (cm/bf)
On-Site Searches per Session14 19.49% 17.86% 9.13% 18.32% 6.39%

About IBM Coremetrics Benchmark:

IBM Coremetrics Benchmark enables online retailers to measure their online marketing results-including e-commerce data-against that of their peers. Benchmark is the only peer-level benchmarking solution that delivers aggregated and anonymous competitive data for industry-specific key performance indicators (KPIs), showing how a site performs competitively and historically compared to its respective industry overall, as well as to peers and direct competitors.

Session Traffic Summary Metrics

1. Bounce (One Page) Rate The percentage of sessions in which visitors only viewed one page before leaving the site.
2. Multi-Page Session Percent The percentage of sessions in which visitors viewed more than one page.
3. Browsing Sessions Percent The percentage of sessions in which visitors viewed at least one product page.
4. Shopping Cart Session Percent The percentage of sessions in which visitors placed at least one item in their shopping carts.
5. Order Session Percent The percentage of sessions in which visitors completed an order.

Visitor Experience Summary Metrics

6. Page Views Per Session The average number of pages viewed by visitors per session.
7. Product Views Per Session The average number of products viewed by visitors per session.
8. Average Session Length The average length of time for a visitor session.

Transactions Summary Metrics

9. Items per Order The average number of items purchased per order.
10. Average Order Value The average value of each order.
11. Shopping Cart Conversion Rate Out of all visitors who placed items in their shopping carts, the percentage that placed an actual order.
12. Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate Out of all visitors who placed items in their shopping carts, the percentage that did not place an actual order.
13. New Visitor Conversion Percent Out of all new visitor sessions, the percentage that completed an order.

On-Site Search Summary Metrics

14. On-Site Searches Per Session Out of all sessions, the percentage in which visitors used on-site search capabilities.

Black Friday 2009 and Cyber Monday 2009 are over, and IBM Coremetrics Benchmark has the online retail data. Both shopping days delivered strong performances, outpacing 2008 levels. Retailers in general did a very good job of educating consumers about promotions and special offers, enticing more consumers to shop online than in 2008.

Ecommerce Activities Gain Strength on Black Friday 2009

The U.S. online retail sector delivered a strong comeback on Black Friday 2009 compared to the same period last year. This analysis, delivered as part of IBM Coremetrics' second annual Black Friday Benchmark Report, reveals the following trends and patterns as of 12:00 a.m. PST:

  • The average dollar value that consumers spent per online order rose 35.0 percent year over year, led by apparel retailers.
  • Consumers are buying more items per order than they did last year-by 18.3 percent.
  • Consumers are spending considerably less time browsing retailers' sites, suggesting they had done their research prior to Black Friday and that they are shopping from lists.
    • Browsing sessions were down by 5.4 percent
    • The number of people who left a site after viewing only one page (also known as a "bounce" rate) was up by 39.4 percent
    • Page views per session declined by 30.4 percent

Retail Categories:

  • Apparel retailers and jewelry retailersreported the biggest jumps in the average dollar amount consumers spent per online order, up 28.6 percent and nearly 25 percent respectively.
  • Department stores did a phenomenal job of attracting new consumers to their sites, reporting a 151.7 percent jump. However, the average dollar amount consumers spent per online order actually decreased by 7.2 percent, suggesting that shoppers may be sitting on the sidelines waiting for more discounts and special offers.
  • Sports gear and apparel retailers also reported a rise of 54.6 percent in the number of new consumers visiting their sites and a 61.3 percent jump in the number of sessions in which consumers completed an order. But the average dollar amount consumers spent per online order declined slightly by 3.1 percent.

Download the Full Benchmark Black Friday 2009 Report (1.47KB)

US retail

Session Traffic Summary Metrics Black Friday 2009 Black Friday 2008 % Change (y/y) Friday Nov 20, 09 % Change (w/w)
Bounce (One Page) Rate1 30.86% 22.13% 39.43% 32.79% -5.88%
Multi-Page Session Percent2 69.14% 77.87% -11.20% 67.21% 2.87%
Browsing Sessions Percent3 48.99% 51.80% -5.42% 47.85% 2.37%
Shopping Cart Sessions Percent4 10.95% 10.80% 1.41% 9.61% 13.99%
Order Sessions Percent5 4.50% 3.49% 29.07% 4.04% 11.60%
Visitor Experience Summary Metrics Black Friday 2009 Black Friday 2008 % Change (y/y) Friday Nov 20, 09 % Change (w/w)
Page Views per Session6 8.79 12.63 -30.36% 8.09 8.70%
Product Views Per Session<7 2.17 2.86 -23.98% 1.98 10.01%
Average Session Length (in seconds)8 7:28 8:37 -13.32% 7:06 5.37%
Transaction Summary Metrics Black Friday 2009 Black Friday 2008 % Change (y/y) Friday Nov 20, 09 % Change (w/w)
Items per Order9 5.4 4.56 18.33% 6.19 -12.76%
Average Order Value10 $170.19 $126.04 35.02% $176.92 -3.80%
Shopping Cart Conversion Rate11 34.60% 33.56% 3.08% 32.89% 5.19%
Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate12 65.40% 66.44% -1.55% 67.11% -2.54%
New Visitor Conversion Percent13 3.71% 2.27% 63.36% 3.19% 16.16%
On-Site Search Summary Black Friday 2009 Black Friday 2008 % Change (y/y) Friday Nov 20, 09 % Change (w/w)
On-Site Searches per Session14 18.32% 18.44% -0.62% 18.57% -1.34%

About IBM Coremetrics Benchmark:

IBM Coremetrics Benchmark enables online retailers to measure their online marketing results-including e-commerce data-against that of their peers. Benchmark is the only peer-level benchmarking solution that delivers aggregated and anonymous competitive data for industry-specific key performance indicators (KPIs), showing how a site performs competitively and historically compared to its respective industry overall, as well as to peers and direct competitors.

Session Traffic Summary Metrics

1. Bounce (One Page) Rate The percentage of sessions in which visitors only viewed one page before leaving the site.
2. Multi-Page Session Percent The percentage of sessions in which visitors viewed more than one page.
3. Browsing Sessions Percent The percentage of sessions in which visitors viewed at least one product page.
4. Shopping Cart Session Percent The percentage of sessions in which visitors placed at least one item in their shopping carts.
5. Order Session Percent The percentage of sessions in which visitors completed an order.

Visitor Experience Summary Metrics

6. Page Views Per Session The average number of pages viewed by visitors per session.
7. Product Views Per Session The average number of products viewed by visitors per session.
8. Average Session Length The average length of time for a visitor session.

Transactions Summary Metrics

9. Items per Order The average number of items purchased per order.
10. Average Order Value The average value of each order.
11. Shopping Cart Conversion Rate Out of all visitors who placed items in their shopping carts, the percentage that placed an actual order.
12. Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate Out of all visitors who placed items in their shopping carts, the percentage that did not place an actual order.
13. New Visitor Conversion Percent Out of all new visitor sessions, the percentage that completed an order.

On-Site Search Summary Metrics

14. On-Site Searches Per Session Out of all sessions, the percentage in which visitors used on-site search capabilities.
%%sidebarspace%%