Who's Online?

Various studies of Internet retail traffic over the Thanksgiving weekend showed that brick and mortar-linked web sites attracted most of the attention.

Toysrus.com, for example, experienced a 49 percent traffic increase from last year, and Sears.com showed a 118 percent rise in visits. On the other hand, many key online-only sites such as eToys and Buy.com – which dominated Internet holiday sales a year ago — experienced a decline in the number of visitors this year. While Amazon.com, the top online shopping site, had a successful weekend, the site's 41 percent traffic increase over last year does not compare to Walmart.com's 214 percent jump. However, researchers said those Walmart.com visits may not lead to a tremendous sales increase. A study earlier this year by Nielsen//NetRatings showed that only 1 or 2 percent of Walmart.com visitors actually purchase anything, while more than 8 percent of Amazon.com visitors spend money.

A poll of web shoppers over Thanksgiving weekend, by Robertson Stephens brokerage firm, found that first-time users had an average yearly income of $46,000, and those who had used the Internet for shopping previously had an average income of $75,000. The majority of Walmart.com's traffic has been from new users. According to Media Metrix, 38 percent of Walmart.com visitors in October had an average income of less than $40,000 per year, compared with 28 percent of average web users. And 61 percent of the site's visitors were women, compared with 50 percent of users in general.