In
a year that has seen online retail sales jump by 30%, somebody must be
doing something right. Or more likely, somebodies. Among those somebodies
are the retailing web sites that make up the 2003 Internet Retailer Best
of the Web—The Top 50 Retailing Sites.
In the first nine months of this year, online retail sales reached $29.7
billion, 30% above last year’s $22.9 billion in the first nine months
and nearly 90% of last year’s total online sales of $33.5 billion, reports
comScore Networks Inc. ComScore expects that growth to continue through
the end of the year. If it does, this year’s online sales will exceed
$43 billion.
ComScore’s top categories for Q3 this year with growth the prior year
were:
— Computer Hardware, up 35%
— Office Supplies, up 47%
— Apparel & Accessories, up 22%
— Consumer Electronics, up 18%
— Books, up 10%
— Home & Garden, up 16%
— Health & Beauty, up 21%
— Sport & Fitness, up 47%
— Movies & Video, up 34%.
The Top 50 sites run the gamut of retailers and sizes—from Target and
Amazon.com, big and broad, to Guild.com and Fortunoff, small and focused.
What they have in common is that they use the web in innovative ways and
the present models that others can learn from.
— Target Corp. uses what might be called a multi-multi-channel approach.
Its multiple channels are not just web, catalog and stores but its three
brands as well—Target, Marshall Field’s and Mervyn’s. It allows online
shoppers to buy from all three brands at the same time and check out from
a single shopping cart.
— Apparel retailer Buckle Inc.’s Buckle.com puts a new spin on the multi-channel
approach by giving away concert tickets to shoppers who register to win
at the web site, but then requires winners to pick up the tickets in one
of its 300 stores.
— Omaha Steaks International Inc. uses OmahaSteaks.com to extend its
product offerings beyond its catalog and reach new customers; OmahaSteaks.com
sells lobsters and side dishes—products that online customers respond
to but catalog customers do not.
— Drugstore.com Inc. is a good example of how the information that the
web makes available can be turned into retailing gold. Drugstore began
selling pet toys, medications and supplies when it noticed that many customers
used pet names as passwords.
— While many retailers are developing ever more sophisticated self-service
applications on the web, electronics retailer Crutchfield is happy when
shoppers contact a customer service rep. Each of Crutchfield’s 150 agents
undergo three to four months of training, must pass exams and receive
ongoing instruction from Crutchfield and vendors, all to the end of up-selling,
cross-selling and closing more sales.
Internet Retailer Best of the Web recognizes sites in seven categories
that have adopted interesting approaches to online retailing. They are
not exclusively the biggest, busiest or most profitable sites. The editors
base their selections on consultations with members of Internet Retailer’s
Editorial Board of Advisers and with industry consultants and analysts,
nominations from readers and the editors’ own experience in dealing with
sites, both professionally and personally, throughout the year.
We are pleased to present this year’s Internet Retailer Best of the
Web—The Top 50 Retailing Web Sites.
The following profiles were written by Kurt Peters,
Mary Wagner and Paul Demery.
Data on the following pages marked with * are courtesy
of comScore Networks Inc. based on a cross-section of 1.5 million Internet
users who have given comScore permission to monitor their online activity.
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Best
Buy
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1-800-Flowers
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Crutchfield
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American
Greetings
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Dell
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Blue
Nile
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HPShopping.com
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Guild
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iGo.com
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Ice.com
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RadioShack
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Red
Envelope
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Sharper
Image
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TechnoScout
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Tower
Records
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Albertsons
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Barewalls
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Drugstore.com
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Bellacor
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Harry
& David
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Bombay
Co.
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Omaha
Steaks
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Cooking.com
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Safeway
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Crate
& Barrel
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Starbucks
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Fortunoff
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Amazon
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Buckle
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Buy.com
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eBags
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eBay
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Hanna
Andersson
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Lowe’s
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J.
Crew
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Office
Depot
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Lands’
End
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QVC
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Undergear
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ReturnBuy
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Target
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Altrec
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BackcountryStore
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Cabela’s
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Camping
World
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FAO
Schwarz
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J.C.
Whitney
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MLB.com/Shop
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Oriental
Trading
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SmartBargains
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Click
here
for the Guide to Vendors of the Top 50 Retail Web Sites
