Supermarkets continue to improve in online audience ranking
For the second quarter running supermarkets were among the biggest risers in the IMRG comScore Top 50 Retailer Ranking – which measures unique visitors to UK online retail sites.
Analysis on data from the comScore MMX Multi-platform (based on March data) found that Waitrose and Aldi both recorded significant rises – up +33 and +26 places respectively compared with March 2015. Waitrose recently introduced a new premium range and Aldi launched their online wine store in January.
Sainsbury’s also improved on last year, climbing four places to #17 while Tesco retained its position at #4. Asda, the second-highest supermarket entry, slipped one place to take #6 with Netflix switching positions with them.
The two biggest fallers this time were BA (-15 places) and Lastminute.com (-14) although a number of travel companies did climb the list this quarter – including Thomson (+19), Ryanair (+6), National Rail (+4) and The Trainline (+1).
March was a good month for department store retailers with Debenhams, House of Fraser, John Lewis and Marks & Spencer all gaining position compared with March last year.
Andy Mulcahy, editor, IMRG, said:
“This is the second quarter running that we’ve seen notable improvements in rankings for supermarkets. The data last time was from December and we wondered whether Xmas was perhaps a key influencing factor, but this quarter’s data suggests that it was not a blip. With the intense competition between supermarkets for shopper spend, they have invested a lot in developing their online channels to get ahead but it seems that, most importantly, customers are apparently now visiting these sites regularly and in significant volumes.”
The IMRG comScore Top 50 Retailer Ranking is published quarterly and measures digital audiences based on comScore MMX Multi-platform data of those selling goods and services within the IMRG Capgemini Index Classification**. Source: comScore MMX Multi-platform, Custom Ranking based on Total Unique Visitors/Viewers, Desktop and Mobile, March 2016, UK.
*The IMRG comScore Retailer Ranking list excludes eBay, marketplace and price comparison / aggregator websites.
** IMRG Capgemini Index Classification: Beer / wine / spirits; Books; CDs / tapes / records; Clothing / footwear / accessories; Computer hardware / peripherals / consumables; Consumer electronics; Digital downloads (e.g. music, software); Flowers; Food, beverages and household supplies; Furniture; Garden / DIY; Health and beauty; Home appliances (e.g. washing machines); Household goods (e.g. kitchenware, bedding); Jewellery / watches; Software; Sporting goods; Tickets (e.g. cinema, theatre, events); Toys; Travel (e.g. flights, holidays, hotels, car hire); Video games; Videos / DVDs
