Early December Online Traffic on the Up and Up

A new Shop.org/BizRate.com survey shows that the majority of online retailers’ average daily transactions and site traffic during the first two weeks of December have increased over the same period last year. Among those online merchants surveyed, 49% say holiday sales increased more than 35% over last year for the two-week period. The survey adds that 88% of online shoppers are “somewhat satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their online shopping experience this year.

The survey also shows that online retailers have been successful providing online tools that help shoppers select gifts this holiday. For instance, 35% of retailers said that “gift idea centers” were their most successful site feature. Another 29% cited “suggested items” as their most successful shopping tool. “Product promotions” were the biggest draw, with 39% of retailers choosing it as their best feature.

“Online retailers have succeeded in developing shopping tools for their customers that leverage the unique characteristics of the online environment,” BizRate.com CEO Chuck Davis said in a statement. “The real beneficiaries of these online retail innovations, however, are their customers, who continue to express their satisfaction by doing more shopping online.”