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Online Sales Continue to Sizzle Over Black Friday Weekend; Consumers Using Websites to Browse and Buy Holiday Gifts

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 /PRNewswire/ — Online retailers are giving thanks for
an increase in sales over Black Friday weekend, according to the findings of a
new Shop.org/BizRate.com survey. The second installment of the 2003 eHoliday
Mood Study, conducted by Shop.org and BizRate.com, found that more than half
of retailers saw sales increase more than 25 percent over last year during the
same period. This sales surge has led to increased cheer — 71 percent of
online retailers are feeling optimistic about the holiday season, up four
percent from two weeks ago.

This year, consumers seem to be embracing shopping across websites, stores
and catalogs more than ever. According to the study, 50 percent of consumers
are using the Web to research products and then buy them either in a store or
through a catalog. And 45 percent of consumers are researching gift purchases
in stores and catalogs and then purchasing them online.

"Online retailers are increasingly optimistic about the holidays because
the last two weeks have been very strong," said Scott Silverman, executive
director of Shop.org, the online division of the National Retail Federation.
"Retailers have succeeded in combining their Web sites, stores and catalogs
into a seamless shopping experience that lets consumers shop where and when
they want."

The study also evaluates the success of online retailers’ marketing
efforts. Free shipping with conditions gained in strength as the most
successful tool in driving holiday business; 44 percent of retailers listed it
as their most effective marketing promotion, an increase of seven percent over
two weeks ago.

"Both retailers and consumers are benefiting from the 2003 online retail
holiday season," said Chuck Davis, CEO of BizRate.com. "Consumers are enjoying
excellent online and multichannel shopping experiences and consumers are
rewarding these retailers with their business."

The eHoliday Mood Study is the only holiday measurement tool that is based
on data provided directly from online retailers in addition to consumer data.
The second of four installments, which represents the two-week buying period
between November 16 and 29, includes data from more than 80 leading Internet
and multi-channel retailers — all Shop.org members.

About the Survey

The Shop.org/BizRate.com 2003 eHoliday Mood Study was designed to gauge
consumer behavior and online retailers success during the winter holiday
season. The poll of 1,252 online buyers (defined as anyone who has made a
purchase online in the last twelve months) and more than 80 online retailers,
all members of Shop.org, was conducted December 1-2.

BizRate.com. Founded in 1996, BizRate.com is one of the largest, fastest
and most accurate shopping search engines on the Web. With an index of over
26 million product offers from more than 39,000 stores, BizRate.com uses
ShopRank(TM), a proprietary shopping search algorithm, to produce the
industry’s most relevant search results by weighing price, popularity and
availability of products, against the reputations of merchants that sell them.

At the heart of ShopRank(TM) are BizRate.com’s signature merchant and product
ratings, collected from more than one million online buyers each month, making
them the most reliable ratings on the Web. Every week, the BizRate.com
shopping search engine prepares millions of shoppers to make smarter, more
confident purchases and sends them directly to the checkout page of thousands
of online merchants.

Shop.org, the association for retailers online, is where the best retail
minds come together to gain the insight, knowledge and intelligence to make
smarter, more informed decisions in the evolving world of the Internet and
Multi-Channel retailing. Founded in 1996, Shop.org became a division of the
National Retail Federation in January 2001. The association’s membership
includes interactive executives from store-based retailers, catalog-based
retailers, Web-based retailers, and retail solution providers.

The survey will be conducted every two weeks during the holiday season
with additional releases on December 22, and January 6.

Online retailers "mood" about the holiday season as the of end of November:

Wave 2 Wave 1 W2 vs. W1
Nov 16-29 Nov 2-15
Optimistic 71% 67% 4%
Neutral 22% 30% -8%
Pessimistic 7% 2% 5%

Consumers researching gift purchases online and then purchasing them in an
offline store or catalog (multiple responses, 11/17 & 11/18, count: 2,185 ):

Research gift purchases online and then purchasing them
offline (store or catalog) 50%
buy in-store at same retailer (39%)
buy in-store at different retailer (22%)
buy via catalog at same retailer (8%)
buy via catalog at different retailer (4%)
None of the above 50%

Consumers researching gift purchases in a store or catalog and then
purchasing them online (multiple responses, 11/17 & 11/18, count: 2,178):

Research gift purchases offline (store or catalog) and then
purchasing them online 45%
research in-store, buy online at same retailer (24%)
research in-store, buy online at different retailer (14%)
research in catalog, buy online at same retailer (20%)
research in catalog, buy online at different retailer (8%)
None of the above 55%

Online retail marketing promotions most successful in driving business
(multiple responses):

Wave 2 Wave 1 W2 vs W1
Nov 16-29 Nov 2-15
Free ship with conditions 44% 37% 7%
Free ship no conditions 19% 12% 3%
Early shopper discount 17% 13% 4%
Online only sale 17% 13% 4%
Offline-online sale 15% 15% 0%
Other marketing promotion 11% 16% -5%
None 11% 15% -4%
Free gift with purchase 9% 11% -2%
Repeat-buyer discount 5% 11% -6%
First-time buyer discount 4% 10% -6%
Purchase with purchase 4% 3% 1%
Buy x get x free 2% 9% -7%
Rebate 2% 1% 1%
Tax free promotion 1% 0% 1%

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