Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2011 have come to a close and IBM has the latest online retail performance data. 2011 marked a banner year on a number of fronts with mobile traffic growing by more than 200% and Thanksgiving turning out to be a huge shopping day for consumers as they responded to retailers' early Black Friday promotions. Read the full reports to get details on these as well as a number of other trends from the holiday shopping season.
Cyber Monday Online Spending Increases by 33.0 percent Over 2010
The U.S. online retail sector delivered strong growth on Cyber Monday 2011 compared to the same period last year. These findings expand on the earlier report that Thanksgiving Day 2011 saw a record number of online retail sales that set the stage for a strong Black Friday.
As part of IBM’s Smarter Commerce initiative, IBM's online retail benchmark study reveals the following trends as of 12:00 am PST:
Cyber Monday 2011 Compared to Cyber Monday 2010 (year/year)
- Consumer Spending Increases: Online sales were up 33.0 percent over 2010, with consumers pushing the average order value up from $193.24 to $198.26 for an increase of 2.6 percent.
- Shopping Peaks at 11:05am PST/2:05pm EST: Consumers flocked online, with shopping momentum hitting its highest peak at 11:05am PST/2:05pm EST. Consumer shopping also maintained strong momentum after commuting hours on both the east and west coast.
- Mobile Sales and Traffic Grows: On Cyber Monday, 10.8 percent of people used a mobile device to visit a retailer's site, up from 3.9 percent in 2010. Additionally, mobile sales grew dramatically, reaching 6.6 percent on Cyber Monday versus 2.3 percent in 2010.
Cyber Monday 2011 Compared to Black Friday 2011
- Consumer Spending Increases: Online sales were up 29.3 percent over Black Friday.
- The Mobile Bargain Hunter: On Cyber Monday mobile traffic averaged 10.8 percent compared to 14.3 percent on Black Friday.
- Mobile Sales: Consumer sales on mobile devices reached 6.6 percent versus 9.8 percent on Black Friday.
- The Apple Shopper: Apple’s iPhone and iPad continued to rank one and two for mobile device retail traffic (4.1 percent and 3.3 percent respectively). Android maintained its position in third at 3.2 percent. Collectively iPhone and iPad accounted for 7.4 percent of all online retail traffic versus 10.2 percent on Black Friday.
- The iPad Factor: Shoppers using the iPad also continued to drive more retail purchases than any other device with conversion rates reaching 5.2 percent compared to 4.6 percent.
- The Social Influence: Shoppers referred from Social Networks generated 0.56 percent of all online sales on Cyber Monday versus 0.53 percent on Black Friday. Similar to Black Friday, Facebook led the pack, accounting for 86 percent of all social media traffic.
Download the Full Benchmark Cyber Monday 2011 Report (673KB)
U.S. Retail
| Transaction Summary Metrics | Cyber Monday 2011 | Cyber Monday 2010 | % Change (y/y) | Black Friday 2011 | % Change (W /W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Items Per Order1 | 7.31 | 6.41 | 12.96% | 6.37 | 14.76% |
| Average Order Value2 | $198.26 | $194.89 | 2.59% | $190.10 | 4.29% |
| Conversion Summary Metrics | Cyber Monday 2011 | Cyber Monday 2010 | % Change (y/y) | Black Friday 2011 | % Change (W/W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conversion Rate1 | 5.71% | 5.60% | -1.81% | 4.57% | 24.95% |
| New Visitor Conversion Rate2 | 4.39% | 4.41% | -7.16% | 3.55% | 23.66% |
| Shopping Cart Sessions3 | 12.98% | 12.79% | 0.39% | 11.30% | 14.87% |
| Shopping Cart Conversion Rate4 | 37.69% | 36.32% | 3.15% | 34.47% | 9.34% |
| Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate5 | 62.31% | 63.68% | -1.81% | 65.53% | -4.91% |
| Session Traffic Summary Metrics | Cyber Monday 2011 | Cyber Monday 2010 | % Change (y/y) | Black Friday 2011 | % Change (W/W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average Session Length1 | 7:30 | 7:47 | -1.72% | 7:26 | 0.90% |
| Bounce (One Page) Rate2 | 31.51% | 31.41% | -1.55% | 33.10% | -4.80% |
| Browsing Sessions3 | 46.90% | 48.34% | -2.41% | 47.23% | -0.70% |
| Page Views Per Session4 | 7.74 | 8.14 | -2.94% | 7.59 | 1.98% |
| Product Views Per Session5 | 1.73 | 1.75 | 0.94% | 1.79 | -3.35% |
| Mobile Summary Metrics | Cyber Monday 2011 | Cyber Monday 2010 | % Change (y/y) | Black Friday 2011 | % Change (W/W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile: Percentage of Sales1 | 6.58% | 2.25% | 192.57% | 9.84% | -33.13% |
| Mobile: Percentage of Site Traffic2 | 10.75% | 3.88% | 161.92% | 14.33% | -24.98% |
| Mobile: Bounce Rate3 | 41.44% | 42.94% | -3.30% | 41.31% | 0.31% |
| Mobile: Conversion Rate4 | 2.99% | 2.24% | 26.40% | 2.78% | 7.55% |
| Mobile: Average Session Length5 | 4:10 | 3:59 | 4.57% | 4:03 | 2.88% |
| Mobile Device: Android Traffic6 | 3.21% | 1.01% | 219.60% | 4.05% | -20.74% |
| Mobile Device: iPhone Traffic7 | 4.06% | 1.97% | 106.62% | 5.38% | -24.54% |
| Mobile Device: iPad Traffic8 | 3.27% | 0.85% | 287.08% | 4.75% | -31.16% |
| Social Summary Metrics | Cyber Monday 2011 | Cyber Monday 2010 | % Change (y/y) | Black Friday 2011 | % Change (W/W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social: Percentage of Sales1 | 0.56% | 0.41% | 36.51% | 0.53% | 5.66% |
| Social: Percentage of Site Traffic2 | 0.93% | 0.86% | 6.84% | 0.92% | 1.09% |
| Social: Facebook Referral Traffic3 | 0.80% | 0.73% | 9.20% | 0.69% | 15.94% |
| Social: Twitter Referral Traffic4 | 0.02% | 0.07% | -69.27% | 0.02% | 0.00% |
*NOTE: The percent change for year-over-year day-over-day calculations are based on matched retailer lists for each time period.
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.
Transactions Summary Metrics
| 1. Items per Order | The average number of items purchased per order. |
|---|---|
| 2. Average Order Value | The average value of each order. |
Conversion Summary Metrics
| 1. Conversion Rate | The percentage of sessions in which visitors completed an order. |
|---|---|
| 2. New Visitor Conversion Rate | Out of all new visitor sessions, the percentage that completed an order. |
| 3. Shopping Cart Sessions | The percentage of sessions in which visitors placed at least one item in their shopping carts. |
| 4. Shopping Cart Conversion Rate | Out of all visitors who placed items in their shopping carts, the percentage that placed an actual order. |
| 5. Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate | Out of all visitors who placed items in their shopping carts, the percentage that did not place an actual order. |
Session Traffic Summary Metrics
| 1. Average Session Length | The average length of time for a visitor session. |
|---|---|
| 2. Bounce (One Page) Rate | The percentage of sessions in which visitors only viewed one page before leaving the site. |
| 3. Browsing Session Percentage | The percentage of sessions in which visitors viewed at least one product page. |
| 4. Page Views Per Session | The average number of pages viewed by visitors per session. |
| 5. Product Views Per Session | The average number of products viewed by visitors per session. |
Mobile Summary Metrics
| 1. Mobile: Percentage of Sales | Out of all online sales, the percentage that was from a mobile device. |
|---|---|
| 2. Mobile: Percentage of Site Traffic | Out of all sessions, the percentage that was from a mobile device. |
| 3. Mobile: Bounce Rate | The percentage of sessions from mobile devices in which visitors only viewed one page before leaving the site. |
| 4. Mobile: Conversion Rate | The percentage of sessions from mobile devices in which visitors completed an order. |
| 5. Mobile: Average Session Length | The average length of time for a visitor session from a mobile device. |
| 6. Mobile Device: Android Traffic | Out of all sessions, the percentage that was from an Android mobile device. |
| 7. Mobile Device: iPhone Traffic | Out of all sessions, the percentage that was from an iPhone mobile device. |
| 8. Mobile Device: iPad Traffic | Out of all sessions, the percentage that was from an iPad mobile device. |
Social Summary Metrics
| 1. Social: Percentage of Sales | Out of all online sales, the percentage that was from a social site referral. |
|---|---|
| 2. Social: Percentage of Site Traffic | Out of all sessions, the percentage that was from a social site referral. |
| 3. Social: Facebook Referral Traffic | Out of all sessions, the percentage that was from a Facebook referral. |
| 4. Social: Twitter Referral Sessions | Out of all sessions, the percentage that was from a Twitter referral. |
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Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2011 have come to a close and IBM has the latest online retail performance data. 2011 marked a banner year on a number of fronts with mobile traffic growing by more than 200% and Thanksgiving turning out to be a huge shopping day for consumers as they responded to retailers' early Black Friday promotions. Read the full reports to get details on these as well as a number of other trends from the holiday shopping season.
Mobile Devices Including the iPhone and iPad Account for 14.3 Percent Of All Black Friday Online Retail Traffic
U.S. shoppers took advantage of early sales this holiday driving a 39.3 percent increase in online Thanksgiving day spending while setting the stage for 24.3 percent online growth on Black Friday compared to the same period last year.
As part of IBM’s Smarter Commerce initiative, IBM's online retail benchmark study revealed the following trends as of 12:00 am PST on Black Friday 2011:
- Consumer Spending Increases: Strong Thanksgiving shopping carried over into Black Friday with online sales increasing 24.3 percent annually.
- The Mobile Bargain Hunter: Black Friday witnessed the arrival of the mobile deal seeker who embraced their devices as a research tool for in-store and online bargains. Mobile traffic increased to 14.3 percent on Black Friday 2011 compared to 5.6 percent in 2010.
- Mobile Sales: Sales on mobile devices surged to 9.8 percent from 3.2 percent year over year.
- The Apple Shopper: Mobile shopping was led by Apple, with the iPhone and iPad ranking one and two for consumers shopping on mobile devices (5.4 percent and 4.8 percent respectively). Android came in third at 4.1 percent. Collectively iPhone and iPad accounted for 10.2 percent of all online retail traffic on Black Friday.
- The iPad Factor: Shoppers using the iPad led to more retail purchases more often per visit than other mobile devices with conversion rates reaching 4.6 percent compared to 2.8 percent for overall mobile devices.
- Surgical Shopping Goes Mobile: Mobile shoppers demonstrated a laser focus that surpassed that of other online shoppers with a 41.3 percent bounce rate on mobile devices versus online shopping rates of 33.1 percent.
- The Social Influence: Shoppers referred from Social Networks generated 0.53 percent of all online sales on Black Friday. Facebook led the pack, accounting for 75 percent of all traffic from social networks.
- Social Media Chatter: Boosted by a 110 percent increase in discussion volume compared to 2010, top discussion topics on social media sites immediately before Friday showed a focus on the part of consumers to share tips on how to avoid the rush. Topics included out-of-stock concerns, waiting times and parking, and a spike in positive sentiment around Cyber-Monday sales.
Online Retail Categories:
- Department stores once again offered a vast array of compelling deals and promotions that caught the attention of consumers. As a result, department stores sales were up 59.0 percent from this time last year.
- Home Goods also reported a 48.8 percent increase in sales from Black Friday 2010, an indication that many consumers are shifting their attention toward the home this holiday season.
- Apparel sales were also strong this holiday with Black Friday numbers showing an increase of 47.2 percent over 2010.
- Health and Beauty sales were strong as consumers showed a desire to pamper themselves this year. On Black Friday, online sales were up 34.2 percent year over year.
Download the Full Benchmark Black Friday 2011 Report (435KB)
U.S. Retail
| Transaction Summary Metrics | Black Friday 2011 | Black Friday 2010 | % Change (y/y) | Friday Nov 18, 2011 | % Change (w/w) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Items Per Order1 | 6.37 | 7.44 | -13.52% | 7.58 | -15.75% |
| Average Order Value2 | $190.10 | $190.80 | -0.20% | $188.82 | 0.78% |
| Conversion Summary Metrics | Black Friday 2011 | Black Friday 2010 | % Change (y/y) | Friday Nov 18, 2011 | % Change (w/w) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conversion Rate1 | 4.57% | 4.61% | -6.27% | 4.14% | 10.47% |
| New Visitor Conversion Rate2 | 3.55% | 3.80% | -13.13% | 3.02% | 17.51% |
| Shopping Cart Sessions3 | 11.30% | 11.28% | -2.82% | 9.99% | 13.35% |
| Shopping Cart Conversion Rate4 | 34.47% | 35.21% | -1.68% | 33.20% | 3.54% |
| Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate5 | 65.53% | 64.79% | 0.91% | 66.80% | -1.77% |
| Session Traffic Summary Metrics | Black Friday 2011 | Black Friday 2010 | % Change (y/y) | Friday Nov 18, 2011 | % Change (w/w) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average Session Length1 | 7:26 | 7:39 | -2.89% | 7:13 | 3.23% |
| Bounce (One Page) Rate2 | 33.10% | 32.11% | 0.56% | 34.27% | -4.14% |
| Browsing Sessions3 | 47.23% | 48.79% | -2.89% | 46.04% | 2.83% |
| Page Views Per Session4 | 7.59 | 8.14 | -5.03% | 7.17 | 6.31% |
| Product Views Per Session5 | 1.79 | 1.78 | 1.91% | 1.64 | 9.51% |
| Mobile Summary Metrics | Black Friday 2011 | Black Friday 2010 | % Change (y/y) | Friday Nov 18, 2011 | % Change (w/w) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile: Percentage of Sales1 | 9.84% | 3.18% | 209.61% | 7.78% | 26.49% |
| Mobile: Percentage of Site Traffic2 | 14.33% | 5.56% | 157.54% | 11.18% | 28.73% |
| Mobile: Bounce Rate3 | 41.31% | 42.47% | -2.33% | 43.19% | -4.43% |
| Mobile: Conversion Rate4 | 2.78% | 1.97% | 32.51% | 2.38% | 16.74% |
| Mobile: Average Session Length5 | 4:03 | 3:57 | 2.26% | 3:48 | 6.65% |
| Mobile Device: Android Traffic6 | 4.05% | 1.43% | 185.34% | 3.53% | 15.09% |
| Mobile Device: iPhone Traffic7 | 5.38% | 2.52% | 114.92% | 4.33% | 24.67% |
| Mobile Device: iPad Traffic8 | 4.75% | 1.33% | 260.69% | 3.18% | 49.63% |
| Social Summary Metrics | Black Friday 2011 | Black Friday 2010 | % Change (y/y) | Friday Nov 18, 2011 | % Change (w/w) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social: Percentage of Sales1 | 0.53% | 0.55% | -3.90% | 0.59% | -10.18% |
| Social: Percentage of Site Traffic2 | 0.92% | 0.88% | 4.61% | 1.04% | -10.98% |
| Social: Facebook Referral Traffic3 | 0.69% | 0.72% | -3.34% | 0.81% | -13.92% |
| Social: Twitter Referral Traffic4 | 0.02% | 0.08% | -76.96% | 0.03% | -36.70% |
*NOTE: The percent change for year-over-year day-over-day calculations are based on matched retailer lists for each time period.
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.
Transactions Summary Metrics
| 1. Items per Order | The average number of items purchased per order. |
|---|---|
| 2. Average Order Value | The average value of each order. |
Conversion Summary Metrics
| 1. Conversion Rate | The percentage of sessions in which visitors completed an order. |
|---|---|
| 2. New Visitor Conversion Rate | Out of all new visitor sessions, the percentage that completed an order. |
| 3. Shopping Cart Sessions | The percentage of sessions in which visitors placed at least one item in their shopping carts. |
| 4. Shopping Cart Conversion Rate | Out of all visitors who placed items in their shopping carts, the percentage that placed an actual order. |
| 5. Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate | Out of all visitors who placed items in their shopping carts, the percentage that did not place an actual order. |
Session Traffic Summary Metrics
| 1. Average Session Length | The average length of time for a visitor session. |
|---|---|
| 2. Bounce (One Page) Rate | The percentage of sessions in which visitors only viewed one page before leaving the site. |
| 3. Browsing Session Percentage | The percentage of sessions in which visitors viewed at least one product page. |
| 4. Page Views Per Session | The average number of pages viewed by visitors per session. |
| 5. Product Views Per Session | The average number of products viewed by visitors per session. |
Mobile Summary Metrics
| 1. Mobile: Percentage of Sales | Out of all online sales, the percentage that was from a mobile device. |
|---|---|
| 2. Mobile: Percentage of Site Traffic | Out of all sessions, the percentage that was from a mobile device. |
| 3. Mobile: Bounce Rate | The percentage of sessions from mobile devices in which visitors only viewed one page before leaving the site. |
| 4. Mobile: Conversion Rate | The percentage of sessions from mobile devices in which visitors completed an order. |
| 5. Mobile: Average Session Length | The average length of time for a visitor session from a mobile device. |
| 6. Mobile Device: Android Traffic | Out of all sessions, the percentage that was from an Android mobile device. |
| 7. Mobile Device: iPhone Traffic | Out of all sessions, the percentage that was from an iPhone mobile device. |
| 8. Mobile Device: iPad Traffic | Out of all sessions, the percentage that was from an iPad mobile device. |
Social Summary Metrics
| 1. Social: Percentage of Sales | Out of all online sales, the percentage that was from a social site referral. |
|---|---|
| 2. Social: Percentage of Site Traffic | Out of all sessions, the percentage that was from a social site referral. |
| 3. Social: Facebook Referral Traffic | Out of all sessions, the percentage that was from a Facebook referral. |
| 4. Social: Twitter Referral Sessions | Out of all sessions, the percentage that was from a Twitter referral. |
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IBM Coremetrics Benchmark
Compare your web site performance against industry peers and competitors