Visits to Top 1000 retailers’ ecommerce websites jumped 44.2% during the Cyber 5 shopping period compared to total traffic during a comparable five-day period earlier in the month, according to Digital Commerce 360 analysis of Similarweb data.
However, total web traffic to Top 1000 retailers decreased during the Cyber 5 this year compared with the Cyber 5 in 2021. Despite the traffic decrease, ecommerce sales increase during this period.
The total number of visits to retailers in the 2022 Digital Commerce 360 Top 1000 dropped 5.9% during the five days from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday this year, when compared to the same time last year.
Traffic has been down throughout the year, but it was down less during the Cyber 5. During a control period two weeks prior to the Cyber 5, between a Thursday, Nov. 10 and Monday, Nov. 14, total traffic was down 6.9% compared to the same Thursday-to-Monday period last year.
Total site visits over the five-day period to the full Top 1000 increase 44.2% during the five-day period compared with earlier in the month. Last year, the bump was 42.7%.
The jump in traffic wasn’t the same each day. Traffic on Black Friday increased 77.5% compared with the control period. This is a lower increase than the 80.4% increase during the comparable time frame in 2021. But in 2022, site visits increased by a larger amount on Thanksgiving and the weekend, leading to an overall higher increase in visits for the full Cyber 5 compared to last year.
Cyber 5 traffic down in 2022
Still, web traffic decreased during the 2022 Cyber 5 across the board. Top 100 retailers had bigger declines than the larger Top 1000. Top 100 retailers had a 7.6% year-over-year decrease in traffic over Cyber 5 2022 and only 42.6% growth compared to the control period earlier in the month.
Web traffic to Amazon.com Inc. (No. 1) decreased 5.1% year over year during the Cyber 5. Amazon’s traffic grew just 33.2% compared with the 2022 control period. Excluding Amazon, Top 100 traffic fell 8.8% year over year but visits increased more — 47.4% — compared to two weeks prior.
A few categories grew traffic during the Cyber 5 compared with last year: apparel and accessories increased Cyber 5 traffic 5.4%, while jewelry grew 10.5%. Sporting goods retailers increased traffic 1.9% compared with last year.
Among the Top 100, merchants with the largest year-over-year traffic increases reflected the fastest-growing categories. Chico’s FAS Inc. (No. 88), Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (No. 57) and Ascena Retail Group (No. 43) were all among the five fastest growers, while Fanatics Inc. (No. 25), Lululemon Athletica Inc. (No. 32) and Foot Locker Inc. (No. 50) made the top 10.
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